The number of electric ferries plying the seas around Scandinavia looks set to increase with the commissioning of two new vessels. Wärtsilä has been awarded the contract to design and equip two zero-emission ferries to be built for Norwegian operator Boreal Sjö at Holland Shipyards in the Netherlands.
Wärtsilä said its design is tailored to the operating and route profiles of the two double-ended shuttle ferries. In addition to the design, the company will supply the thruster motors, batteries, onboard and shore-based battery charging equipment, back-up generators and other associated electrical systems. The equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard at the beginning of 2021 and the ships are expected to commence commercial operations in autumn 2021.
The two ferry designs are not identical. One is a 30m-long vessel capable of carrying 10 cars and approximately 100 passengers, while the other is a 5m-long vessel for 35 cars and 149 passengers, including crew.
The company said that by having all equipment contracted from a single supplier provides customer benefits during operation of the vessels as a single point of contact for maintenance, spare parts and support on the equipment is more convenient than dealing with a number of different companies.
