Kuok Maritime Group's newest electric supply boat commences operational sailings

A new electric supply boat recently delivered to Singapore's Kuok Maritime Group (KMG) commenced operational sailings earlier this week.

For its initial voyages, Voltai transported supplies and equipment to the facilities of KMG subsidiary PaxOcean.

"Voltai was never built merely for demonstration," KMG said in a social media post. "She was purposefully designed to work—cleanly, quietly, and efficiently, proving that electrification can handle the genuine demands of daily maritime logistics."

The 26-metre vessel was developed by the Coastal Sustainability Alliance led by KMG and built by PaxOcean at its PaxOcean Batam shipyard in Indonesia. KMG expects that the vessel’s electric drivetrain will enable annual fuel cost savings of as much as 40 per cent while the larger size will yield a payload capacity roughly four times that of conventional supply boats.

"Voltai is Singapore’s largest fully electric supply boat and among the first designs recognised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore for its energy efficiency and operational readiness,” PaxOcean had earlier told Baird Maritime.

Voltai is equipped with two 300kW electric motors powered by two 500kWh battery packs. PaxOcean said this setup allows the vessel to cruise at eight knots and achieve a range of 80 nautical miles.

An onboard energy management system can meanwhile optimise power usage and help extend battery life.