Dutch system integrator Van Tiem Elektro has contracted EST-Floattech to supply its Octopus High Energy battery systems for fifteen new river cruise vessels. The vessels are being outfitted at De Gerlien van Tiem in Druten and at Vahali Shipyards in Ghent for a group of cruise operators, including AmaWaterways and Uniworld.
Once in service, the river cruisers will be sailing on the Danube and the Black Sea region. Each vessel will be equipped with 650 kWh of battery capacity, bringing the total order to 9.7 MWh, one of EST-Floattech’s largest river cruise contracts to date.
The order builds on an existing relationship between EST-Floattech and Van Tiem Elektro, who have collaborated on previous maritime electrification projects. Wamel-based system integrator Van Tiem Elektro is already familiar with the Octopus platform from earlier tankers and river cruisers, including the Solara and the Astara.
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Partial electric sailing
Onboard, the Octopus HE systems will support partial electric sailing, hotel load and emergency back-up power. The platform combines EST-Floattech’s in-house developed cell and module technology with a String Controller for straightforward MODbus integration into a vessel’s existing systems. It holds Type Approval from DNV, Bureau Veritas, Lloyd’s Register, ABS, and RINA.
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Continued cruise industry momentum
With outfitting yards across Europe fully booked, work on the first hulls in the series is underway now, with final deliveries scheduled through 2030. The order reflects continued momentum in the river cruise sector, where operators – predominantly Swiss and German, alongside one US-based operator and one Chinese operator – continue to invest in electrification to reduce emissions and meet onboard hotel-load demands.
Maarten Soetekouw, Co-Owner of Van Tiem Elektro: ‘This is one of the largest electrification projects we’ve taken on: 9.7 MWh across fifteen vessels is a real step forward for sustainable river cruising, and we’re proud to be delivering it. EST-Floattech’s Octopus platform is a system our engineers already know well, and that experience gives us real confidence on a project of this scale.’
Picture: S.S. Emilie is one of the fifteen river cruisers and will start sailing the Danube River this year (photo EST-Floattech).
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