Polarstern will have largest battery ever installed on an ice class vessel

Polarstern, the new polar research icebreaker, will havelargest battery ever installed on an ice class vessel [Image: TKMS]

Marine battery manufacturer AYK Energy has secured a landmark contract to supply the largest battery ever installed on an ice class vessel for Germany’s next generation polar research ship Polarstern.

The contract has been awarded AYK Energy by Wärtsilä, the marine electrical integrator for the vessel, which is currently under development for the Alfred Wegener Institute.

The AYK Energy Pisces+ battery system, with a capacity of 16 megawatt-hours (MWh) and weighing 131 tonnes, will be delivered in 2028. The vessel itself is due to enter service in 2030.

Chris Kruger, the founder and president of AYK, said the project is a major milestone for battery technology in demanding maritime environments:

“Polar research vessels operate at the absolute limits of what ships and onboard systems are expected to endure,” he said. “To be selected for a project of such complexity and importance is a strong validation of AYK’s technology, particularly when safety, reliability and performance under extreme conditions are non-negotiable.”

Pisces+ will be at the heart of the Polarstern’s hybrid diesel-electric power architecture, enabling peak shaving, load optimization and low emission operations during sensitive scientific work. Battery power will also enable quieter operations, reducing the associated noise and vibration that can often interfere with research activities.

“Collaboration with Wärtsilä was a key part of the project’s success,” said Kruger. “Working directly with Wärtsilä on Polarstern has been a highly technical and rigorous process. This is a vessel designed to operate in some of the harshest environments on the planet and every component has to earn its place. The fact that batteries of this scale are now being integrated into ice class research ships shows just how far this technology has come.”