The upgrade was started in normal operation and finalized at the Turku Repair yard in Finland and the vessel is now back in service operating an all year round service between Finland and Sweden. The upgrade has seen AYK Energy install its AYK Pisces+ battery system, which is five times more powerful than the existing battery, boosting electric power to 12.6 MWh from the previous 2.2 MWh system.

The Aurora Botnia operates the battery system in combination with Wärtsilä dual-fuel LNG/LBG engines. AYK founder Chris Kruger confirmed the new AYK battery system exceeds the previous biggest retrofit on the Aida Prima cruise ship by about 500 kWh.

Mr. Kruger said: “AYK is delighted to undertake this groundbreaking upgrade for Wasaline. Our companies share a passion for innovation and decarbonization. It is especially pleasing for AYK to deliver this project on time and on budget. The time for electric vessels has come. Marine battery technology is improving so fast with superior levels of energy density, safety and cost savings. The Aurora Botnia retrofit shows what is possible. Hybrid ships have a very big future, not least because the ROI is so fast. Battery systems can pay for themselves within just a few years in fuel savings.”

Chris Kruger, AYK founder

From the initial planning of Wasaline’s Aurora Botnia, the shipping line set the target of achieving fully carbon-neutral operations by 2030, but they achieved it already in 2025 by starting using biogas.

Peter Ståhlberg, Managing Director of Wasaline, said: “The Vaasa-Umeå route is the first international green shipping corridor in operation. There’s growing demand for environmentally friendly transport in Europe. The entire transport chain can be carbon-neutral today. Expanding our battery capacity with AYK Energy is a major step that allows us to make our vessel even more sustainable. Our collaboration with Finland’s and the region’s energy clusters makes innovative solutions like this possible.”

The latest delivery comes as fast growing AYK is seeing a surge in demand for its batteries across the maritime industry, with the manufacturer supplying cruise ships, icebreakers, ferries, workboats and even large container vessels as part of their power mix.

In the last year, AYK has successfully installed some of the biggest marine battery systems ever built, including two 12 MWh Orion+ batteries for Brittany Ferries’ hybrid-electric vessels Guillaume de Normandie and its sister ship Saint-Malo. AYK further struck a deal to supply a 6 MWh battery for the world’s first battery-methanol tug for Svitzer.
Source: AYK Energy