It’s Electric: Charging Asia’s First E-ferry
Innovative charging technologies connect Asia’s first e-ferry to electrical power, eliminating emissions and dramatically reducing operating costs.
The retrofitted passenger ferry, which operates between the island of Cijian and the port of Kaohsiung in Taiwan and that entered service last year, is fully electrically powered. This follows the introduction of a hybrid ferry earlier in 2017.
The charging solution was supplied by Swiss based engineering firm Cavotec, who said the technology ensures safe, fast and efficient connection of the ferry to electrical power at the Kaohsiung berth. The solution includes a cable reel, cable and plug, as well as a socket box on board the ferry.
The Kaohsiung city municipality plans to retrofit the rest of its diesel fleet to reduce pollution levels around Taiwan’s largest harbor, media reported in February last year.
“We’re seeing growing interest in plug-in and charging technologies for e-ferries and hybrids in Asia and beyond, together with a high demand for our shore power equipment at major ports, which clearly indicates a strong trend on emissions reduction initiatives,” said Gustavo Miller, president of Cavotec’s Ports & Maritime division.
