A second containerised battery system has been unveiled in a week, with ABB launching a unit housed in a 20-foot box that plugs in to a vessel’s main power distribution system.

The Containerized ESS system brings simplicity to energy storage retrofitting, the Swiss engineering group said, and is ready for ‘plug and play’ use.

Batteries, converters, transformer, controls and cooling equipment are pre-assembled in a self-contained high-cube ISO container.

ABB said the system is suitable for integration on board a wide variety of ships and offers one of the highest energy densities within a 20-foot container.

On Tuesday, TradeWinds reported that Wartsila has delivered a swappable battery container system for an inland waterway vessel transporting containers of Heineken beer that will allow it to operate with zero emissions.

“Fuel savings, lower emissions and increased safety during operation and maintenance are the demand drivers for energy storage systems in the newbuild ship market,” said Jyri Jusslin, head of service at ABB Marine & Ports.

ABB said offshore support vessels would particularly benefit from a self-contained system as the electrical room space on board is limited.

But the flexible and cost-effective energy storage system technology would also be relevant to containerships, ferries, drill ships and other vessel types, the company added.

“Knowing that there is a simple way to integrate an energy storage system could be the extra encouragement needed for owners to consider incorporating batteries for vessel efficiency and, especially, for sustainable power,” added Jusslin.