Samsung Heavy Industries has received approval in principle from DNV for a battery hybrid system designed for shuttle tankers. These vessels carry crude oil from offshore fields and burn fuel to hold position while loading. The new setup uses batteries as an auxiliary power source during that station keeping phase, which can cut fuel use and carbon emissions while also providing backup power for offloading. An AIP is an early design review, not a final certification, so the company still has to prove the system in engineering and sea trials. Samsung says it plans to keep developing low carbon solutions for ships. For shipping operators, the near term question is battery size, charging setup, and how much fuel the system actually saves over a typical two to three day loading operation.
