Seaspan Ferries partners with Corvus Energy for Blue Whale ESS field trial
Seaspan Ferries Corporation has reached an agreement with Corvus Energy, of Bergen, Norway and Vancouver, Canada, for the first delivery of Corvus’ Blue Whale ESS, to be installed onboard one of their cargo ferries.
Blue Whale is a new large-scale energy storage system (ESS) – a groundbreaking battery system designed for large ships with high zero-emission energy demand, such as cruise ships, large Ro-Pax and Ro-Ro ferries, and cargo ships. Its unique rack-free design of stacking modular blocks provides the industry’s highest volumetric battery room energy density and, consequently, maximizes a ship owner’s passenger or payload opportunities.
For its inaugural field trial, the Blue Whale battery system will be installed on board Seaspan Reliant, a roll-on/roll-off drop-trailer cargo ferry built in 2016 that sails the Salish Sea multiple times a day, with terminals and service between B.C.’s Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
The Blue Whale ESS will replace an in-service first generation Corvus AT6500 ESS in the existing battery room, increasing the vessel’s energy storage capacity from 545 kWh to 1892 kWh.
Installation of the new Blue Whale system is scheduled for Summer 2021, at which time Seaspan also plans to relocate the AT6500 system onto sister vessel, Seaspan Swift.
Blue Whale commissioning and trials will be carried out while the vessel is in full-service operation during the remaining months of 2021. With three and a half times the previous energy capacity, Seaspan will be able to expand the use of battery power beyond spinning reserve to also provide fuel-efficient peak shaving, load balancing, and even zero-emission operation on battery power only.
Once installed, performance data from the ESS will be collected automatically, analyzed and monitored remotely through Corvus’ cloud-based monitoring and optimization system, providing valuable feedback to the R&D team.
The Blue Whale field trial and all key maritime authority certifications are expected to be completed by Spring 2022, at which time commercial deliveries will commence.
ABOUT SEASPAN FERRIES
Seaspan Ferries operates a daily commercial ferry service between terminals on British Columbia’s Lower Mainland at Tilbury in Delta and Surrey, and on Vancouver Island at Duke Point Nanaimo and Victoria (Swartz Bay). The ferry service is offered 7 days a week, with over 18 sailings a day. Seaspan Ferries is part of Seaspan Marine Transportation, a group of Canadian companies that are primarily involved in ship assist, coastal and deep-sea transportation, ferry services and fuel bunkering on the west coast of North America. With well over a century of successful participation in coastal commerce, Seaspan is a major partner in the Pacific Northwest marine economy.