Danish Stillstrom Completes Automated Cable Connection Test for Offshore Vessel Charging

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Stillstrom, a Maersk-owned company, has completed an offshore vessel charging trial, demonstrating that fully automated charging connections can be achieved while vessels are in dynamic positioning (DP) operations, without the need for manual intervention in cable management. The trial, conducted under the DNV technical certification framework and witnessed by DNV, validated the automated cable management capabilities of the Stillstrom Offshore eCharger (SOeC) system throughout the entire process, from initial connection to vessel return.

In offshore wind farms, hybrid or electric support vessels connecting to offshore power while maintaining DP positioning require safe management of a moving cable—a task traditionally reliant on manual supervision, which carries higher costs and risks. The trial was conducted in collaboration with offshore wind vessel operator ESVAGT and Stillstrom's long-term development partner Semco Maritime, with the test site located at Semco Maritime's shipyard in Esbjerg, Denmark.

During the trial, the charging connector was lowered from a height of 15.5 meters to the vessel, representing the height of a wind turbine or substation where the system may be installed in the field. The cable reel on the tower accommodated 125 meters of cable, allowing the system to automatically pay out cable as the vessel moved away and retrieve it upon return, maintaining a constant cable profile.

The trial covered verification across five areas: the control system performance for automated cable control; RTK GPS as the control position reference; synchronized linear speed between the tower cable reel and the onboard electric traction winch; the user interface and recording functions for monitoring and data collection; and the system's operational performance under real shipyard conditions.

Stillstrom CEO Kristian Borum Jørgensen stated that cable control is one of the most challenging aspects of offshore charging, and this trial demonstrated that the system can automatically and safely manage cables while the vessel is in motion, maintaining reliable communication over distances far exceeding planned parameters. He also acknowledged the contributions of ESVAGT and Semco Maritime to the project, describing this as another milestone in building industry confidence in offshore power and charging solutions.

Stillstrom, developing offshore power and charging solutions from its bases in Copenhagen and Aberdeen, focuses on decarbonization applications for the maritime industry and is currently at a critical point for commercial rollout. This assessment builds on shipyard and port trials conducted in 2024 and dry testing completed in February 2026. The next steps include full system integration testing involving an SOV, followed by final certified offshore trials, which may also represent the technology's first real-world deployment.