Marine battery maker AYK Energy has won a contract to supply what it calls the largest battery ever installed on an ice-class vessel: a 16 MWh Pisces+ system for Germany’s next-generation Polarstern polar research ship. AYK says the battery system will weigh 131 tonnes, be delivered in 2028, and support a vessel scheduled to enter service in 2030.
The new Polarstern is being developed for the Alfred Wegener Institute, with the battery contract signed directly with Wärtsilä, which AYK describes as the world’s largest marine electrical integrator for hybrid propulsion systems. The diesel-electric vessel is designed for year-round Arctic and Antarctic operations, including extended missions in heavy ice.
AYK says the Pisces+ pack will be the core of Polarstern’s hybrid diesel-electric power architecture, enabling peak shaving, load optimization, and lower-emission operation during sensitive scientific work. Battery power is also expected to reduce noise and vibration, which can interfere with research activities.
“Polar research vessels operate at the absolute limits of what ships and onboard systems are expected to endure,” said AYK founder and president Chris Kruger. “The fact that batteries of this scale are now being integrated into ice class research ships shows just how far this technology has come.”
Source: AYK Energy
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