Page 24: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2026)

BATTERIES © jroballo/AdobeStock

CRITICAL MINERALS

AT SEA:

BATTERY SUPPLY CHAINS BECOME

AN INVESTMENT QUESTION

By Alisa Reiner atteries have become a practical part of maritime and charging infrastructure to include the security of battery decarbonization. They are used on ferries, harbor supply chains, which depend on battery chemistry and, ulti- craft, tugs, o? shore support vessels, crew transfer mately, on critical minerals.

B vessels, various types of remotely operated vessels, The term is often misunderstood. “Critical minerals” is not and hybrid ships to reduce fuel burn, provide spinning reserve, a geological category but a strategic de? nition. A material be- support dynamic positioning, enable peak shaving, and allow comes “critical” when it is important for an economy, technol- zero-emission operation in port. As of mid-2026, 156 di? erent ogy, or national security, while its supply chain is vulnerable to maritime battery systems from 118 manufacturing companies disruption. Critical minerals should also not be confused with are commercially available. Notably, systems are becoming rare earths – these are one speci? c group of elements, while crit- more energy dense, lighter and more compact, supporting wid- ical minerals vary by country, technology, and market context.

er maritime adoption – for a 288.26 m³ energy storage system For batteries, the focus is on generally recognized critical (ESS), weight intensity has fallen from around 13 t/MWh for minerals – lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, graphite, phos- a 2016 NMC system to 9.25 t/MWh for a 2019 LFP system phate, and titanium, depending on chemistry. As battery costs and 5.9 t/MWh for a 2024 NMC system. Today, 1392 battery- continue to fall, the concentration of production and process- powered vessels are in operation, 466 on order (Figure 1). ing capacity, along with price volatility, remains a key risk for

However, the business case extends beyond vessel design investors and developers.

24 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • August 2026

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