Marine battery manufacturer, AYK Energy has completed the installation and run sea trials on the second Brittany Ferries ropax to feature the largest marine battery yet built.
AYK installed the 12 MWh Orion+ battery into Brittany Ferries’ ‘Guillaume de Normandie’ hybrid electric ferry following the installation of the same battery system on board her sistership ‘Saint-Malo’ at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Weihai.
‘Guillaume de Normandie’ has now completed her sea trials and is sailing for the UK, where she will operate on the Portsmouth/Caen route.
The ‘Saint-Malo’ is due to operate the Portsmouth/ St Malo route, with the first sailing scheduled for this month.
AYK founder, Chris Kruger, said: “We would again like to thank Brittany Ferries for giving AYK the opportunity to supply these two highly innovative ferries.
“This was a huge job for our company and shows how we are maturing as a business. To win the order in April, 2024 and deliver the project by early 2025 shows the capability of our team and factory,” he said.
Kruger was one of the founders of marine battery technology, having worked in the electric car industry before moving to marine.
He developed the battery for the first hybrid propulsion ferry, ‘Princess Benedikte’, and the first fully electric ferry, ‘Ampere’, in 2012.
A native South African now based in Andorra, he established AYK Energy in 2018, building the first factory in 2023 in China to be close to the centre of the battery industry supply chain, which he claimed was 10 years ahead of Europe.
