The Fjords launches second electric ferry
The Norwegian shipping company The Fjords has put a second purely electric ferry into service. After the ‘Future of the Fjords’ already went into service in 2018, the sister ship ‘Legacy of the Fjords’ will follow.
Like the one that went into service in 2018, the ‘Legacy of the Fjords’ is 42 metres long, 15 metres wide and is designed to carry up to 400 passengers. The design of the catamaran is to be reminiscent of the Oslo Opera House and the serpentine roads that wind their way along the fjords. Above all, the design with the ramps is barrier-free.
The ferry is driven by two electric engines with an output of 450 kW each. The energy is provided by a battery pack with a capacity of around 2,000 kWh. The electric ferry can reach a maximum speed of around 16 knots (approx. 30 km/h). The range is specified as 55 kilometres. The ferry has cost around 130 million Norwegian kroner, equivalent to around 12.2 million euros.
The ship with its carbon fibre hull was built by the Norwegian shipyard Brødrene Aa, which has already built the two sister ships. In 2016, The Fjords had already commissioned the ‘Vision of the Fjords’, which looks the same, but still has a diesel plug-in hybrid.
Since the ‘Legacy of the Fjords’ travels in the same waters between Flåm on the Aurlandsfjord and Gudvangen on the Nærøyfjord as the ‘Future of the Fjords‘, she can also use the charging facility installed in 2018. The floating docking station (there was not enough space in Gudvangen harbour) has a battery storage with a capacity of 2,400 kWh. This should enable the ferry’s battery to be recharged within only 20 minutes. The Future of the Fjords will make 700 trips a year between Flåm and Gudvangen.
The fjords in western Norway, which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites, will be used by electric ships by 2026 at the latest. These include the Nærøyfjord and the famous Geirangerfjord.
0 Comments