EST-Floattech will provide Octopus High Energy battery systems for 15 new river cruise ships. The contract, signed with Dutch integrator Van Tiem Elektro, involves a total capacity of 9.7 MWh, with each vessel receiving 650 kWh of battery storage.
The ships are being outfitted at Vahali Shipyards in Ghent and De Gerlien van Tiem in Druten. The cruise operators include Uniworld and AmaWaterways, and the vessels will operate in the Black Sea region and on the Danube.
The Octopus High Energy systems will be used for emergency backup power, hotel load, and partial electric sailing. The platform uses lithium NMC cells in 10 kWh modules and a String Controller for MODbus integration. The system has type approval from RINA, Lloyd's Register, DNV, the American Bureau of Shipping, and Bureau Veritas.
Van Tiem Elektro, based in Wamel, has previously used the Octopus platform on the Astara and Solara river cruisers and tankers. EST-Floattech also has an order to supply Octopus Lite systems for six Arklow Shipping cargo ships in 2025.
Work on the first hulls has already started, and final deliveries of the vessels are scheduled to be completed by 2030.