Energy shipping solutions company and tanker owner and operator AET, member of MISC Group, partners with Fleetzero, a developer and manufacturer of modular marine batteries for hybrid and electric ships, for the development of the “world’s longest-range plug-in hybrid-electric vessel,” as the company AET reports.
The two parties inked a deal to retrofit one of AET’s lightering support vessels (LSV) with a plug-in hybrid-electric system.
To remind, lightering support vessels are used to transport equipment and crew to conduct ship-to-ship cargo transfer operations.
The vessel will operate primarily on battery power, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by ~82%, according to AET, when compared to conventional LSVs on a tank-to-wake basis.
This is estimated to avoid 1,220 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year, AET said in its statement.
The signing ceremony took place at the AET Offshore office in Galveston, Texas, with representatives from both companies present.
The agreement was signed by Capt. Ron Wood, AET’s global director, commercial, and Steven Henderson, Fleetzero’s CEO.
Photo credit: AET
“By integrating plug-in hybrid electric solutions into our fleet, we are transforming ambition into action to deliver more energy with less emissions. This pilot project also allows us to evaluate the feasibility and operational performance of this technology, paving the way for potential deployment across AET’s and potentially MISC’s fleet,” said Zahid Osman, president and group CEO of MISC Group.
