SRC Group has formed a strategic partnership with Energy Transfer to deliver fully electric, high-efficiency heat pump solutions to the maritime sector, targeting reductions in capital expenditure, operating costs and emissions-related compliance costs for shipowners.
Under the agreement, SRC Group holds exclusive rights for maritime applications of Energy Transfer’s heat pump technology and will be responsible for offering, integrating and delivering the systems to shipowners and shipyards. The partnership combines SRC Group’s maritime engineering and retrofit expertise with Energy Transfer’s thermal management technology, producing a solution suitable for both newbuild vessels and retrofit projects.
The system replaces oil-fired boilers and conventional chillers with a fully electric onboard heating and cooling solution. For every 1 kW of electrical input, it can deliver up to 11 kW of combined thermal output through simultaneous heating and cooling under favourable operating conditions, resulting in materially lower total cost of ownership compared to competing marine technologies.
The heat pump features a compact, modular, skid-mounted design suited to space-constrained engine rooms. Each unit is custom-built to match the vessel’s thermal demand, onboard layout and interfaces — including HVAC, hot water and sanitary systems — with inverter-controlled screw compressors and high-efficiency heat exchangers ensuring stable performance across varying load profiles. The standard thermal capacity range spans from 200 kW to 3 MW, with larger capacities available on request. A 3 MW installation is already in operation.
Shipowners are said to benefit from a return on investment typically achieved in under two years, driven by lower capital cost, high energy efficiency and reduced emissions.
“The maritime sector needs solutions that are technically robust, commercially realistic, and ready for deployment today. This solution enables up to zero-emission heating and cooling during electric operation, while delivering lower upfront cost, major energy savings, and short payback times for shipowners” said Stefano Pitton, chief technology officer, SRC Group.
“Our heat pump technology is designed to maximize efficiency while minimizing footprint and system complexity. Partnering with SRC Group provides a direct route to the maritime market, where this solution can deliver immediate energy and cost savings” said Lucia Favaretto, co-founder, Energy Transfer.
