AYK Energy to supply batteries for four electric Svitzer tugs

Marine battery manufacturer AYK Energy is to supply battery systems for four fully electric Svitzer TRAnsverse tugs under a new agreement with Kongsberg Maritime, highlighting the growing role of battery propulsion in harbour towage.

The tugs are being built at Cochin Shipyard in India. Each will be equipped with an American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)-certified 4,838kWh OrionAN+ battery system. The agreement also includes an option for four additional vessels.

AYK’s batteries will be integrated into Kongsberg Maritime’s electrical and automation package, which includes DC and AC switchboards, permanent magnet propulsion motors, K-Chief control systems and shore-charging equipment.

The deal follows five previous Svitzer hybrid-electric tug projects involving AYK, extending a relationship that dates back to 2012. That year, founder Chris Kruger oversaw the original battery design for four diesel-electric hybrid tugs built for an LNG terminal on Barrow Island, Western Australia.

In 2025, AYK renewed the battery systems on the vessels Svitzer Euro, Svitzer Perentie, Svitzer Boodie and Svitzer Dugong, installing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries with a combined capacity of more than 5MWh.

Kruger said the latest agreement reflected the importance of investment by vessel operators in battery technology.

“It’s only possible to bring technology to the mass market when the biggest operators invest in, and believe in, the battery systems’ ROI,” he said.

He added that marine battery design presented particular challenges because of operating conditions at sea.

“Vessel operators and integrators have told us they want more energy density and greater power without compromising safety,” Kruger said. “Marine batteries, electric ships, are not an easy technology. The rugged conditions of the sea make it much more challenging than electric road vehicles.

“If a vessel suffers battery failure you cannot simply step out onto the road. That is why we’ve worked so closely with class and innovators like Kongsberg Maritime and Svitzer to bring lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry to the market at scale.

“AYK was the first company to secure class approval for an LFP battery replacing the more combustible Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) chemistry. Now the whole industry is following that lead.”

AYK was founded by Kruger in 2018, building on his experience in marine battery development. The company specialises in battery systems for marine applications and has focused on LFP chemistry, which differs from the nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemistry used in some lithium-ion batteries.

The new order follows AYK’s supply of an ABS-certified 6MWh AriesA battery system for Svitzer Balder, built by Uzmar in Turkey. The company describes the vessel as the world’s most powerful electric escort tug.