What inspired Marine Charging Point to pioneer EV charging within the maritime industry?
We saw an opportunity within a relatively niche market, where there is a calling for all kinds of zero-emission technologies, as also the marine market is going through its energy transition, arguably the largest transformation in terms of vessel newbuild programs as well as retrofits, all with the same aim: to reduce emissions, fossil fuel consumption and to tackle the regulatory landscape. The marine business is very specialized and we understood that land-based players won’t be able to compete there in the same way as in the saturated land-based EV charging market.
How do you address the challenges of encouraging ferry operators and shipyards to adopt onboard charging systems?
The ferry operators, owners, shipyards as well as technology integrators and design houses have all embraced our technology over time - but it’s a process. Things take time in the marine community and safety and quality come first - so that’s where we’ve started. During the pandemic, when business activities were at an all-time low due to travel restrictions, we focused on market development and regulation. So we were invited to the EMSA, European Maritime Safety Agency work group on AFVs, alternatively fuelled vehicles transported onboard vessels and in RoRo cargo spaces, which resulted in a Guidance that has been very well received by most stakeholders in our market, basically being adopted as the rules framework for now.
What differentiates the CYAN charging system from other solutions in the market?
We have designed our CYAN charging system around the rigorous safety requirements that are derived from the marine business as a whole. There is really no place there for sub-par products that compromise on conformance, safety, or operational performance. All products compete in a field where the minimum requirements are very high. This combined with specific expertise and functions, that we have implemented in our CYAN system, coupled with the ability to survive in harsh marine environments, make us stick out from the crowd.
How does your technology contribute to measurable reductions in maritime emissions?
We have now operated our onboard charging facilities for almost 24 months onboard zero-emission vessels, and the amount of charged energy onboard is already measured in hundreds of megawatt hours across our deployed systems. Many ferry crossings usually compete with a longer way around on land or by bridge - that is why the ferry is there in the first place - which means using the ferry and conveniently being able to charge onboard, can both reduce distance and thus energy spent on driving from A to B, while providing the ferry operators with additional passengers onboard - which they absolutely need. A major KPI for ferry operators today is to attract customers, i.e. passengers onboard the vessels, using all kinds of services on board and paying the ticket price, in order to create revenue for the operator to be able to afford all the investments in low- and zero-emission technology they need, in order to meet national, EU- and IMO targets for reduced emissions. The fines from the EU and national authorities alone can amount to tens of millions of euros per year, starting in 2025, when the ferry operators are included in the EETS, European Emissions Trading System.
With rapid growth across multiple countries, what strategies are you using to scale effectively?
Partners, both globally, regionally and nationally. The shipping business is international to its very nature, so most projects happen on an international collaboration basis anyway.
How does Marine Charging Point stay ahead of evolving regulations in the maritime sector?
We are actively involved with what EMSA does, which in turn actively takes part in IMO decision making, as well as collaborating heavily with the classification societies that adopted national and international legislation and rules, as well as communicating directly with administrations from different countries.
What future innovations are you planning to maintain leadership in maritime electrification?
We have a very innovative agenda and are constantly bringing new capabilities to the market, both software, hardware and the use application itself. AI is certainly influencing our software, now and in the future.
How do strategic partnerships, such as those with ABB, influence your growth and innovation?
ABB has been great to collaborate with so far, as their global footprint is so substantial in the marine business. They understand electrification and have taken a leading role in many projects with a collaborative approach. They have opened certain doors for us and that has allowed us to grow and scale, finding customer needs that we can fulfill with our strong development competencies and innovative solutions.
