The Langh Group, which has its origins in shortsea shipping, is once again expanding its technology portfolio and now also offers a battery system.
At the Nor-Shipping Oslo trade fair, shipping company boss Laura Langh-Lagerlöf presented the new battery system to the maritime public.
“The aim of the product development was to bring a reliable and affordable battery solution to the market. The process started in 2023 to create an alternative for shore power connection to comply with the upcoming regulation that ships are not allowed to use auxiliary engines in EU ports,” said Langh-Lagerlöf.
This is not the first step in the maritime technology business for the Finnish shipping company. The group, which also includes the Langh shipping company, whose order book includes newbuildings financed by the German development bank KfW, is already active in the business with exhaust gas purification systems and, more recently, carbon capture systems.
The three 1,200 TEU newbuildings of Langh Tech’s sister company Langh Ship have already been equipped with a battery room and the installation of the battery system for these vessels is underway.
The battery system is designed to provide ships with “reliable electrical power” for port operations and to assist or take over propulsion during casting off. A battery string consists of up to twenty connected battery packs, with the number of strings being flexible with up to sixteen units per battery room, giving an energy storage capacity of 5 MWh.
According to the information provided, the system has several functions designed to ensure a high level of safety, which is also reflected in the IP68 protection rating. Each battery pack has a special exhaust pipe that safely discharges gases from the battery room to maintain a non-toxic and non-flammable environment.
The insulation from cell to cell is designed to prevent the spread of thermal runaway. Integrated liquid cooling also ensures a stable environment for the cells, which is said to be more accurate and efficient compared to air cooling. “The LFP chemistry provides superior thermal stability and eliminates the risk of thermal runaway, outperforming both conventional lithium-ion (e.g. NMC) and lead-acid batteries in terms of safety, longevity and environmental performance,” said Langh.
