At the beginning of this year, the cargo ships of the global fleet that are equipped with electric batteries for the power supply of propulsion systems and other were 879 on board, to which were added another 349 ships equipped with batteries whose construction had been ordered from the shipyards or which were already under construction at the time. Of all these ships, there were 94 whose propulsion system is entirely electrically powered or hybrid or hybrid plug-ins, of which 64% of these vessels are used coastal services, 17% inland navigation and 19%, therefore only 18 ships are used for maritime services Oceanic. This is a very small percentage of the fleet cargo ship that should be increased to meet ship emission reduction targets established by the International Maritime Organization. This is highlighted by the first of three papers on the environmental impact of batteries in the ocean maritime transport carried out by CIMAC (International Council on Combustion Engines) and the Maritime Battery Forum.

The document highlights that the potential is very high of battery application to support decarbonization shipping. "The batteries - he underlined the CEO of the Maritime Battery Forum, Syb Ten Cate Hoedemaker - will play an important role in decarbonisation of the maritime sector'. However, the report specifies that, With just 18 electrified ocean-going freighters, the industry is in the initial phase of adoption of this technology and there is There is still a long way to go to make the most of the batteries installed on ships.

The document notes that the reduced number of cargo ships plug-in hybrid ocean can be related to the limited availability of cold ironing systems in ports for charging the on-board batteries via the connection of ships to the shore-side electricity grid. A problem, that of the shortage of these plants, which also has an impact on the maritime passenger transport and which has been highlighted Once again in these days by the International Association of CLIA cruise companies, explaining that if currently There are 147 cruise ships that can connect to the cold ironing, only 3% of the ports where these ships call are equipped with electrified docks.

The paper by CIMAC and the Maritime Battery Forum notes that, therefore, the increase in the number of quays equipped with cold ironing systems for charging on-board batteries can support development of the adoption of battery systems on board ships, installation which - the document specifies - is more difficult on ships already in service compared to the integration of batteries in the design of new construction. However - the paper underlines - to achieve the emission reduction targets set by the IMO can It is essential to have solutions for an installation easy and cheap batteries on ships already Operational.