Page 16: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 2020)

The Path to Zero Image courtesy of Maid of the Mist Corp

Mission to Zero

The Case for Ferries

Ferries lead the zero-emission technology charge for a reason hort routes and regular port visits provide new Maid of the Mist tourist ferries, which feature a propul- opportunities for shipboard stored energy sion system from ABB. These Niagara Falls tour boats will technology, and it is the commercial case be powered by a pair of battery packs with a total capacity that is turning the tide towards zero emis- of 316 kWh, split evenly between two catamaran hulls and

S sions where the ferry market is concerned. creating two independent power systems for full redundancy.

Supported by shoreside charging infra- The vessels will charge between every trip while passengers structure, a fully charged battery pack can disembark and board. Shoreside charging will only take sev- be used to propel a ship along a predictable route at relatively en minutes, allowing the batteries to power electric propul- low operating cost and little wear and tear, with the vessel sion motors that will themselves be capable of a total 400 quietly repowered at the quayside. kW (563 HP) output. This will all be controlled by ABB’s

The appetite for ferry electri? cation has recently been cap- integrated Power and Energy Management System (PEMS), tured by the Maritime Battery Forum, which counts 177 con- which will optimize the energy use on board.

tracted ferries (car and/or passenger vessels) with batteries.

Among these, 101 ferries are in operation today, and 76 are Existing Vessels, Sustainable Future under construction. However, whether small or large, most short distance ferry boats and routes can be electri? ed. In 2018, for example, two

Pioneering Change ForSea Ferries operating between Denmark and Sweden be-

The ? rst ‘all-electric’ vessels to be built in the U.S. are two came the largest battery powered ferries in operation, follow- 16 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • March 2020

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