Harland & Wolff Regulatory News (HARL)

RNS Reach

15 September 2023

Harland & Wolff Group Holdings plc

("Harland & Wolff" or the "Company")

Partnership with Echandia for Delivery of Maritime Battery Systems

Harland & Wolff Group Holdings plc (AIM: HARL), the UK quoted company focused on strategic infrastructure projects and physical asset lifecycle management, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Echandia, the Swedish energy systems supplier. The partnership, announced during London International Shipping Week, will see Harland & Wolff (Technologies) Limited ("HWT") work with Echandia on the development of its battery technology, helping to increase the capability of the batteries and scaling the technology for new vessel types. The partnership gives H&W exclusive distribution rights for battery sales in the UK, Ireland and Australia for the maritime sector. HWT will also establish a UK assembly line for the battery systems and provide in-service support for installations in field.

This agreement builds upon the recently announced consortium between the two companies to develop and build zero emissions harbour and coastal tugs, alongside Macduff Ship Designers and Kongsberg Maritime.

H&W Technologies was recently established by Harland & Wolff to drive forward the development of new technological solutions for the maritime sector. These include batteries, future fuels and systems integration as well as the provision of in-service support.

As the maritime sector transitions to low and zero emission operations, vessel owners and operators are testing different propulsion solutions for different segments within the sector. Batteries are being deployed today for all vessel types, incorporating fully electric and hybrid solutions.

Echandia works with the world's largest shipyards and system integrators to equip new and retrofit vessels with batteries for hybridisation, full propulsion, and increased energy efficiency. Echandia has successfully deployed its battery systems in the ferry, naval and workboat sectors. 

The Echandia battery system is an air-cooled, lithium-ion battery system, certified for maritime heavy-duty usage.

With its robust construction and high performance, Echandia's battery systems are ideally suited for applications that require safe operation over a long lifetime.

John Wood, Group Chief Executive Officer of Harland & Wolff comments:

"We are delighted to announce this new partnership, which will see Harland & Wolff Technologies working with Echandia to assemble, integrate and test the next generation of battery systems for the maritime sector.

"We are committed to developing and bringing to market the best possible solutions for our customers and this partnership will enable us to do that on batteries across the commercial, leisure, offshore and defence industries."

For further information, please visit  www.harland-wolff.com  or contact:

About Harland & Wolff

Harland & Wolff is a multisite fabrication company, operating in the maritime and offshore industry through five markets: commercial, cruise and ferry, defence, energy and renewables and six services: technical services, fabrication and construction, decommissioning, repair and maintenance, in-service support and conversion.

Its Belfast yard is one of Europe's largest heavy engineering facilities, with deep water access, two of Europe's largest drydocks, ample quayside and vast fabrication halls. As a result of the acquisition of Harland & Wolff (Appledore) in August 2020, the company has been able to capitalise on opportunities at both ends of the ship-repair and shipbuilding markets where there will be significant demand.

In February 2021, the company acquired the assets of two Scottish-based yards along the east and west coasts. Now known as Harland & Wolff (Methil) and Harland & Wolff (Arnish), these facilities will focus on fabrication work within the renewables, energy and defence sectors.

In addition to Harland & Wolff, it owns the Islandmagee gas storage project, which is expected to provide 25% of the UK's natural gas storage capacity and to benefit the Northern Irish economy as a whole when completed.