First of AtoB@C Shipping’s 12 battery-hybrid coasters launched in India

Owned by Finland-listed ESL Shipping, the first of the 5,350-dwt dry bulk ships, Electramar, will be delivered in Q3 2023, followed by the second vessel, Stellamar, at the end of year. The keel for the third vessel, Ecomar, was laid in February, the production start for the fourth vessel, Aquamar, was celebrated 30 December and the keel was laid for the fifth vessel, Maximar, in March.

The name for the sixth vessel in the series is Terramar. Names for the last six vessels in the series have not yet been released. Following delivery of Electramar, it is anticipated one battery-hybrid ship will be delivered every three months, concluding with the 12th vessel’s handover in Q2 2026.

Each ice-class 1A ship will have a length of 90 m, beam of 16 m and draught of 6 m, 1 MWh of batteries and a shore power system.

Once in service, these vessels are expected to reduce CO2 and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per cargo unit transported by almost 50% compared with AtoB@C Shipping existing ships, making the vessels among the most efficient in their class, said the owner.
Operating in the shortsea trade, the coasters will use batteries, shore-side electricity solutions and electric-hybrid solutions to enable emissions-free operations within port.

During voyages, the ships will burn Neste Marine 0.1 coprocessed marine fuel, a specialty low-emissions marine fuel from Neste Marine based on the Finnish refiner’s Neste Marine 0.1 low-sulphur marine fuel. A combination of sustainable renewable feeds and fossil components, Neste Marine 0.1 coprocessed marine fuel is a drop-in fuel, enabling up to 80% reduced GHG emissions over the lifecycle compared with fossil fuels.

All the ships will be under the full ship management of Sweden’s GoTa Ship Management.