The first full-scale solar installation on a seagoing coaster.
After three years of pilots and partnership, Vertom and Wattlab take the Solar Flatrack to its first full deployment on the MV Vertom Tula.
Wattlab has delivered a full-scale solar energy system for Vertom’s newest vessel, the MV Vertom Tula. The 7,280 DWT diesel-electric multipurpose cargo vessel is now equipped with 44 Solar Flatracks, providing 79 kWp of installed solar power to the ship’s onboard systems. It is the first seagoing coaster in the world to carry a full-scale Solar Flatrack installation.
The system reduces the hotel load by 20%. Vertom operates a fleet of over 100 vessels across short sea shipping, tanker chartering and port agencies. This is not the first time the two companies have worked together. Vertom ran two pilot projects with Wattlab over the past three years before committing to this full deployment.
Three years in the making
The pilots mattered. Before signing off on a full installation, Vertom wanted to understand the technology on their own terms. TNO, the Dutch research organisation, validated the CO₂ reduction and return on investment. The report confirmed what Wattlab had been saying: the system works in the tough coastal environment, and the numbers stack up.
“Based on the results of our own and TNO’s research, we consider the Solar Flatrack an effective option for reducing GHG and pollutant emissions.”
Thomas van Meerkerk, Business Development Manager at Vertom, is direct about what drove the decision. The pilots showed the system performs well in rough conditions. No salt crust formation because water drains freely from the panels. And the crew, who were initially sceptical about extra work, found in practice that the Solar Flatracks require minimal maintenance.
Installed in a single day
After production and assembly at Wattlab’s new facilities in the Port of Rotterdam in September, the 44 Solar Flatracks were installed in the Port of Harlingen in a single day. That speed is by design. The panels use standard container twist lock fittings, so no structural modifications are needed and no specialist crew is required.
Installation at the Port of Rotterdam. The panels were ready for sea within a day.
Bo Salet, co-founder and CEO of Wattlab, also points out the cargo flexibility the design offers. If a special type of cargo needs the full deck, the crew can remove and stack all 44 panels within the footprint of a single 20-foot container. For shipowners, that means no compromises.
What they said
“We thank Vertom for their trust and the smooth collaboration in the past three years. Without them we could not have achieved this milestone.”
“It is clear that the system can provide both a positive ROI and contribute to CO₂ reduction in shipping.”
What comes next
Recognition
In the weeks following delivery, the Solar Flatrack was nominated for two IBJ Awards: the Environmental Protection Award and the Bulk Ship of the Year Award, together with Vertom. The project was also co-financed by the EU Just Transition Fund as part of the PV Systems for Seagoing Vessels project.
For Wattlab, the Vertom Tula is a proof point for a much larger market. Coastal and short sea shipping is a segment under real pressure from FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS regulations. A system that installs in a day, requires almost no maintenance, and pays itself back is exactly what that market needs. This is the first full-scale installation. It will not be the last.
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