Stillstrom by Maersk has completed the construction and factory acceptance testing of its Vessel Container Unit (VCU). The system allows a service operation vessel (SOV) to charge its batteries directly from an offshore wind farm.
The containerised VCU houses the 11 kV connector package. Its modular design supports bow, stern or under-deck connections. The unit can be installed on both newbuild and existing vessels and transferred between vessels where the onboard cabling allows. Once connected, the VCU's integrated funnel allows the vessel to charge at an appropriate heading. This gives the dynamic positioning operator control over the charging and disconnection operations. Stillstrom expects its complete charging system to be ready for extended offshore trials by summer 2027.
