Associates – Maritime Battery Forum

Syb ten Cate Hoedemaker performed research on marine battery systems at Damen Shipyards, where he has been employed as a battery specialist within the R&D department. He has developed models to predict battery ageing in full-electric vessels and created a battery sizing and selecting tool for battery design optimization. Additionally, he was closely involved in the battery system design of ferries, tugs and offshore support vessels, amongst others. Now he is focused on sharing this knowledge and accelerating the adoption of battery systems in the marine sector as managing director of the Maritime Battery Forum. 

“All vessels cannot be fully battery-powered, but all vessels could benefit in one way or another from installing a battery system on board.” This is the mindset towards batteries that he wants to promote around the world. Batteries can not only be used to achieve the apparent goals of emission reductions and fuel savings but just as well to reduce maintenance costs or increase safety. However, there is a significant difference in battery systems’ performance on the market, and all of them have different requirements for safe integration on board. Therefore it is essential to understand why and how to choose a particular battery system. To achieve this, the MBF facilitates the sharing of knowledge and experiences between its members. Only when we work together as an industry can we accomplish a swift transition to a more sustainable future of shipping safely and affordably.

Maritime Battery Forum and CoWaves stimulate innovation in the maritime industry, and we know that knowledge sharing and working together is paramount for a greener and better future. Syb and Thomas have known each other for more than a decade, and we’re always a good team to work with.