Marine battery manufacturer AYK Energy has signed a second contract with Spanish ship owner Mureloil, advancing electrification in the chemical tanker sector.
Battery systems are already established in ferries and workboats, but AYK is breaking new ground by introducing diesel-electric hybrid technology to tankers. Two new vessels under construction for Mureloil will be among the first globally to operate with this system, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%. During port operations, emissions will be eliminated entirely as the ships switch to full electric power.
Founder Chris Kruger confirmed the deal followed a visit to AYK’s Zhuhai, China facility. The agreement will see the 4.2MWh Aries+ battery system installed on the 8,000DWT product tanker Bahía Beatriz, being built at Astilleros de Murueta near Bilbao. This mirrors the successful installation aboard sister vessel Bahía Candela. Together, the ships will double Mureloil’s biofuel and methanol transport capacity.
Kruger thanked Mureloil for its confidence in AYK and noted Spanish agent Vulkan will support installation. “The time for marine batteries has come. Although these vessels are hybrid diesel electric we are now seeing that the technology is there to go fully electric,” he said. “Batteries are just getting bigger and better all the while slashing more emissions.”
AYK’s systems use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, which Kruger argued offers higher safety and better value than nickel manganese cobalt (NMC). He added that regulatory pressure from FuelEU and the EU ETS is accelerating demand: “The regulatory squeeze is real,” he said. “With the new sustainability reporting requirements, ship operators know they need affordable carbon cutting solutions like marine batteries that deliver.”
