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EST-Floattech has secured a contract from Dutch system integrator Van Tiem Elektro to supply its Octopus High Energy battery systems for a new series of 15 river cruise vessels. The ships are being outfitted at De Gerlien van Tiem in Druten and Vahali Shipyards in Ghent for several cruise operators, including AmaWaterways and Uniworld, with operations planned on the Danube and in the Black Sea region.
Each vessel will receive 650 kWh of installed battery capacity, giving the overall project a combined capacity of ~9.7 MWh. The order represents one of EST-Floattech's largest contracts in the river cruise sector to date.
The project extends an established cooperation between EST-Floattech and Van Tiem Elektro, which have previously worked together on maritime electrification projects. Van Tiem Elektro, based in Wamel, has experience with the Octopus platform from installations aboard tankers and river cruise vessels, including Solara and Astara.
The Octopus High Energy systems will provide the vessels with partial electric propulsion, hotel-load support and emergency backup power. The platform incorporates EST-Floattech's internally developed cell and module technology together with a String Controller designed to facilitate Modbus integration with existing vessel systems. The battery system has received type approval from DNV, Bureau Veritas, Lloyd's Register, ABS and RINA.
EST-Floattech Sales Manager Marinus van der Putte said the contract was based on the companies' established working relationship and Van Tiem Elektro's familiarity with the Octopus platform. He noted that the system integrator's experience in maritime electrification and its solution-oriented approach had supported the decision to extend the cooperation into a larger river cruise project.
Work on the first vessels is already underway, with outfitting facilities across Europe operating at high capacity. Deliveries for the 15-vessel series are scheduled to continue through 2030.
The contract reflects continued investment in electrification within the European river cruise sector, where operators are adopting battery systems to reduce emissions and provide additional capacity for onboard hotel loads. The market includes predominantly Swiss and German operators, alongside companies based in the United States and China.
Van Tiem Elektro Co-Owner Maarten Soetekouw described the project as one of the company's largest electrification programmes to date, with 9.7 MWh of battery capacity being installed across 15 vessels. He said the engineering team's previous experience with the Octopus platform provided an established technical basis for executing a project of this scale, while the companies' existing cooperation was expected to support further work across the series.
