Coastal Workboats will collaborate with EST-Floattech, a provider of energy storage solutions for the maritime sector. EST-Floattech will be providing the battery system for the purpose-built Electric-Landing Utility Vessel (E-LUV) to be built at Coastal Workboats new yard Stornoway and the Shore-based Power Supply System (SPSS).
This collaboration is realized due to Coastal Workboats receiving a £6-million (€7-million) grant provided by the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) to demonstrate the UK’s first commercial electric workboat and charging station.
The vessel that will be built, the E-LUV—a Ro-Ro and dry cargo transportation ferry—will be equipped with 2400 kWh of EST-Floattech’s Octopus High Energy battery system. The system will be placed as two independent battery systems on board, power a range of equipment, and be used for fully electric sailing.
Starting for demonstration purposes in the Shetland Isles in a short trial, the E-LUV will be operating between West Burrafirth and Papa Stour. The route takes about 45 minutes, twice per day and five days per week, while showcasing the capabilities of energy storage solutions in maritime applications.
EST-Floattech will also supply 1200 kWh of the Octopus High Energy battery system, to be placed in a 20 foot container that will support the charging of Coastal Workboats’ E-LUV vessel. It is also possible to place the containerized energy storage solution on board as a range extender. The company will be collaborating with MJR Power & Automation for the system integration and the entire system will be placed inside the container by Renew Marine Ltd.
E-LUV will adhere to Bureau Veritas classification standards.
Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition. This project, the fully electric inter-island workboat demonstration project (including the E-LUV), is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 3 (CMDC3), which was announced in September 2022, funded by UK Government and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.
As part of the CMDC3, the Department allocated £60 million to 19 flagship projects supported by 92 UK organisations to deliver real-world demonstration R&D projects in clean maritime solutions. Projects will take place in multiple locations around the UK from as far north as the Shetland Isles and as far south as Cornwall.
UK SHORE. The CMDC3 is part of the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emission’s (UK SHORE) flagship multi-year CMDC program. In March 2022, the Department announced the biggest government investment ever in the UK commercial maritime sector, allocating £206 million to UK SHORE, a new division within the Department for Transport focused on decarbonizing the maritime sector. UK SHORE is delivering a suite of interventions throughout 2022-2025 aimed at accelerating the design, manufacture and operation of UK-made clean maritime technologies and unlocking an industry-led transition to Net Zero.