<
https://thedriven.io/2026/05/12/like-putting-a-cup-into-a-holder-electric-ships-could-soon-be-charging-at-sea/>
"A consortium of Norwegian companies and research organisations have developed
what they describe as a “plug and play” system for charging battery powered
service vessels at sea.
The new magnetic inductive charging plug, described as easy to operate “as
putting a cup in a cup holder”, has been spearheaded by Norwegian shipbuilder
Vard and research institutes SINTEF and NORCE under the Ocean Charger project
banner.
The Ocean Charger project aimed to develop and test a full-scale ship charging
solution to enable emission-free service vessel operations, particularly for
those servicing offshore wind farms, and the idea was to use the power
generated by these wind farms to charge the vessels.
A heavy-duty traditional charging connection was tested through the early parts
of Ocean Charger, but these chargers rely on exposed contact points that
degrade after prolonged exposure to salty air.
“Movement and wear make charging at sea challenging when using a classic
plug-based connection,” explained Håvard Vollset Lien, VP research and
innovation at Vard, who also headed up the large Ocean Charger project.
“Mechanical wear and tear, corrosion and demanding maintenance increase the
risk and costs.”
But researchers from Vard, alongside scientists and engineers in the Ocean
Charger project, were able to develop a new charging connection which uses a
magnetic inductive charger encapsulated in materials that can withstand
offshore conditions."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
