Corvus energy system for LNG ferries
Designed for efficiency, the Corvus batteries are expected to help significantly reduction in emissions, fewer running hours on the engines with lower fuel consumption, and faster response to load variations. Seaspan will operate the ro-ro ferries on its coastal routes in British Columbia.
“Seaspan Ferries is striving to gain maximum efficiencies with our new fleet which are larger than our existing vessels. The additional cargo takes more time to load,” said Harly Penner, director of fleet engineering & vessel development at Seaspan Ferries. “The only chance to make up time the increased time from loading is with vessel speed. Instead of putting in larger engines to allow for greater speed and faster acceleration and deceleration, we’re going to use batteries to share the higher load and assist during manoeuvring.”
The batteries will be delivered through Aspin Kemp and Associates (AKA), a Canadian company that designs, manufactures, installs and supports innovative power generation and energy management solutions for marine and land-based industries in strategic partnership with MAN Energy Solutions.
This is the second pair of ferries that Seaspan has equipped with Corvus batteries. Seaspan Reliant and Seaspan Swift went into operation in 2017. The 546 kWh Corvus batteries saved Seaspan the cost of an additional engine for spinning reserve, as well as improved fuel efficiency by 9%-10%.
