EST-Floattech has secured one of its largest river-cruise contracts, agreeing to supply battery systems for a series of 15 new vessels.
Dutch electrical system integrator Van Tiem Elektro selected the company’s Octopus High Energy platform for ships being outfitted at De Gerlien van Tiem in Druten and Vahali Shipyards in Ghent.
The vessels are intended for a group of operators that includes AmaWaterways and Uniworld, with deployment planned on the Danube and in the Black Sea region.
Combined battery capacity of 9.7MWh
Each of the 15 vessels will receive 650kWh of installed battery capacity. EST-Floattech places the total order at approximately 9.7MWh.
The batteries will support partial electric sailing, supply energy for onboard hotel loads and provide emergency backup power. This allows the systems to assist both propulsion and the substantial electrical demand created by accommodation, catering and other passenger services.
Work on the first hulls is already underway, while final deliveries across the series are scheduled to continue through 2030.
Octopus High Energy systems selected
EST-Floattech’s Octopus High Energy system uses the company’s own cell and module technology together with a string controller designed to simplify integration with a vessel’s existing equipment through MODbus.
The Octopus platform has received type approval from classification organisations including DNV, Bureau Veritas, Lloyd’s Register, ABS and RINA.
Van Tiem Elektro has previous experience with the technology through other maritime electrification projects. These include the river cruise vessels APT Solara and APT Ostara, as well as inland tankers.
That established relationship was an important factor in the larger 15-vessel order, according to representatives of the two companies.
River cruise operators invest in electrification
Battery installations can reduce the time for which a vessel’s conventional engines must operate, particularly while supplying onboard systems or sailing in conditions suited to electric assistance.
The precise emissions benefit will depend on each ship’s final propulsion arrangement, operating profile and the source of electricity used to charge its batteries. Neither the builders nor EST-Floattech has described the new vessels as fully electric.
The order nevertheless represents a substantial investment in lower-emission river cruising and gives the ships greater flexibility in how power is generated and used.
European river operators are investing in battery, hybrid and other efficiency technologies as they introduce new vessels and respond to tightening environmental requirements.
Ships destined for the Danube and Black Sea
The companies have not published a complete vessel-by-vessel list or identified every cruise operator included in the order.
AmaWaterways and Uniworld have been named among the future operators, while the ships are expected to sail primarily on the Danube and within the wider Black Sea region.
By spreading the deliveries through 2030, the contract provides EST-Floattech and Van Tiem Elektro with a multi-year programme rather than a single installation.
EST-Floattech sales manager Marinus van der Putte said the agreement was founded on the companies’ existing relationship and Van Tiem Elektro’s experience integrating the Octopus platform.
Van Tiem Elektro co-owner Maarten Soetekouw described the contract as a step forward for sustainable river cruising and said familiarity with the system gave its engineers confidence in a project of this scale.