AYK Energy will supply a three-megawatt-hour battery system for Greenpeace International’s next flagship vessel, a 75-metre sailing ship scheduled to launch in 2027. The Andorra-based battery manufacturer said it is expanding production capacity to meet what it described as a “prestigious order,” secured through a system integrator. The vessel is currently under construction at the Freire Shipyard in Spain.
The new ship is designed to operate with minimal emissions, combining two electric propellers with 1,746 square metres of sail area, solar panels and AYK’s Aires+ battery system, which recently received certification from classification society DNV. Hydrogen and methanol will serve as backup fuels. Greenpeace said the vessel is engineered to operate as fossil-free as possible from launch and to transition to 100 percent renewable energy when feasible.
AYK founder Chris Kruger said the project highlights the company’s growing presence in the marine battery sector. “We are extremely proud to be supporting this transformative Greenpeace International project,” Kruger said, noting that the system will enable silent, zero-emissions operations during sensitive environmental campaigns. He added that the deal reflects rising confidence in AYK’s high-performance marine batteries.
The order caps a strong year for the company, which recently supplied two 12-MWh Orion+ battery systems for Brittany Ferries’ hybrid-electric vessels Guillaume de Normandie and Saint-Malo. Both ships can operate emission-free when entering and leaving ports, and the installations are among the world’s largest maritime battery systems.
Kruger said AYK aims to accelerate commercial adoption of low-emission shipping technologies. “There has to be a compelling business case…that’s what the new AYK range is all about – mass adoption of batteries that can pay for themselves within a matter of years,” he said.
AYK reached a major milestone this year when DNV approved its Pisces, Pisces+, OrionAN and OrionAN+ batteries, as well as aluminium variants of its modules. The battery system intended for the Greenpeace flagship has also received approval.
