Copyright offshore-energy
Swedish maritime battery system provider Echandia has signed an agreement to supply energy storage systems for at least eight newbuild cargo vessels to be owned by Dutch shipping company Spliethoff Group. As disclosed, the contract includes the option to equip an additional pair of cargo vessels with the battery systems. The units are presently under construction at Wuhu Shipyard in China. According to Echandia, Finnish energy efficiency solutions provider WE Tech Solutions is set to be the system integrator. The battery solutions are going to be fitted with the goal of ‘optimizing’ generator efficiency during cargo loading and unloading operations, which tend to be demanding given the necessity for short but intense bursts of power. To be more specific, per officials from the Swedish marine technology player, the battery systems—which will have an estimated lifespan of up to 20 years—are anticipated to “stabilize” engine load, improve fuel efficiency and minimize mechanical wear. They are also hoped to reduce the shore power connection requirements. As informed, the first handover of the Echandia battery systems is planned for April 2027, with commissioning marked for late 2027 or early 2028. Once the ships are fully outfitted and built, they are to operate primarily on Spliethoff’s Finland-USA trade route, the Swedish company has noted. To remind, Spliethoff Group had commissioned the Chinese shipbuilding company to construct up to ten energy-efficiency multipurpose cargo vessels at the end of September last year. At the time, the Dutch maritime transport player had revealed that the order included eight firm units, with an option for two more. The 28,600 dwt Finnish/Swedish 1A Ice-classed vessels will reportedly boast an overall length of 203.25 meters, and a width of 28.25 meters, with a maximum draft of 10.5 meters. The newbuilds are projected to be handed over in the first quarter of 2028. Meanwhile, Echandia had secured its ‘biggest booking’ ever in May 2024, when it was tapped by a Northern European ferry operator for the conversion of a pair of roll-on/roll-off passenger (RoPax) ferries to pure electric propulsion. At the beginning of August 2024, the company signed a deal to supply its solution for the San Francisco Bay Ferry’s Rapid Electric Emission Free (REEF) ferry program. More recently, namely in March 2025, Echandia wrapped up a funding round at SEK 220 million (around $20.6 million), through which it hoped to ‘strengthen’ its efforts in keeping pace with the global demand for sustainable maritime solutions. As Offshore Energy reported at the time, the round was led by Spanish financial services firm Alantra’s energy transition fund Klima and Swedish venture capital fund Industrifonden, with participation from Sweden’s SEB Greentech VC and Japan’s venture capital firm EEI.
