Andorra-headquartered marine battery supplier AYK Energy has won a type approval from Norwegian classification society DNV for its latest set of “advanced” marine batteries.
According to the company, the green light from DNV has signalled that AYK can immediately embark on what is hailed as its ‘biggest retrofit project ever undertaken.’
The project entails fitting a 10.4 MWh Pisces + battery system on a hybrid-electric roll-on/roll-off passenger (RoPax) ferry Aurora Botnia, which is owned by Finnish maritime transport company Wasaline. The vessel, which was delivered at the end of August 2021, serves a daily route between Sweden and Finland.
Speaking about the development, AYK Energy’s founder Chris Kruger remarked that the type approval played a ‘big’ part in the company’s efforts to make marine battery technology ‘more affordable’ and, therefore, foster mass adoption.
“We all want to see fewer emissions and green shipping. But batteries will only be part of the decarbonization agenda if ship owners see the sums add up,” Kruger elaborated. “There has to be a compelling business case. And that’s what this new AYK range is all about – mass adoption of batteries that can pay for themselves within a matter of years.”
To remind, Wasaline had commissioned AYK Energy to supply its marine battery solution at the end of April 2025.
At the time, the shipping player said it wanted to expand the dual-fuel ferry’s onboard capacity and, simultaneously, improve its environmental performance further. As disclosed, the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries are to be in operation in January next year. They are expected to cut down on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 23% .
Prior to the deal, Aurora Botnia already featured 2.2 MWh batteries, using electric-powered Azimuth thrusters. With the new upgrade, the ferry is anticipated to additionally cut fossil energy use by around 10,000 MWh per year.
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As informed, the approval from the Oslo-headquartered classification society follows a project from earlier this year when AYK Energy installed 12 MWh Orion+ batteries—which have also been greenlit by DNV—on Brittany Ferries’ hybrid-electric ferry Guillaume de Normandie. In 2024, the Andorran marine technology player outfitted the ferry’s sister-ship Saint-Malo with the same solution. These battery systems are said to be ‘the world’s largest’.
It is understood that, in addition to Pisces+ and Orion+, AYK Energy has clinched approvals for its Pisces, OrionAN, and OrionAN+ systems.