Norwegian ship yard Fjellstrand AS has signed a contract with Norwegian ferry operator Fjord1 for the building of a new ZeroCatTM 120 car ferry.
The full electrical ferry has been developed by Fjellstrand, and the new vessel will be presented in detail at the NCE Maritime CleanTech stand A01-32 at Nor-Shipping today (May 30th)
Fjellstrand was also responsible for building the car ferry MF Ampere which wrote history in 2015 as the world’s first full electrical ferry. The yard had a central position in the introduction of new battery technology in the ferry market.
The new ferry is a further development of the MF Ampere and will be equipped for higher speed and longer range.
“MF Ampere has been in service for two years now and has sailed a distance equivalent to four times around the equator. This has given us valuable experience for the further development of zero emission technology for ferries and other vessel types”, says Edmund Tolo, Sales Manager in Fjellstrand AS.
The electrical ferry will have a length of 87,5 meters and a beam of 20,8 meters and will have capacity for 120 cars, 12 trucks and 296 passengers. To achieve the lowest possible energy consumption the vessel will be built in aluminium with a catamaran hull.
Aluminium vessel is approximately 60 percent lighter than vessels built in steel and the battery acks and charging stations can therefore be smaller and more effective. Aluminium is also a very sustainable material as it doesn’t distinguish toxins and as it can be recycled in eternity without losing quality. Fjellstrand has a world-leading position within development and production of aluminium vessels.
The ship systems in the new ferry has been optimised for high energy efficiency. In addition to the battery systems bio-diesel generators will be installed, allowing the ferry to be operated directly by these or in hybrid mode via the batteries. The ferry will operate the crossing fully electric. In addition to the battery systems bio-diesel generators will be installed as back up when charging is not available.