In an effort to speed up the transition to fossil-free fuels in the transport sector, Stena Line, Volvo Group, Scania and the Port of Gothenburg have joined forces on the Tranzero Initiative, a collaborative project that hopes to bring about a significant reduction in carbon emissions linked to the largest port in the Scandinavia.
The aim is to cut emissions in the Port of Gothenburg by 70% by 2030.
During a press conference about the Tranzero Initiative on Thursday, February 4, Stena Line CEO Niclas Mårtensson announced the company’s plans to launch two fossil-free vessels on the Gothenburg-Frederikshavn route before 2030.
“We now move from vision to vessel with the battery-powered vessel Stena Elektra. Within a year we will present the outline specifications and at the latest by 2025 we plan to order the first vessel. This will be a huge step toward fossil-free shipping,” said Mårtensson.
Stena say its Elektra vessel will be the world’s first fossil-free ro-pax vessel of its size. Measuring approximately 200m in length, it will combine a passenger capacity of 1,000 with 3,000 lane meters of freight capacity.
The vessel will be built in high-tensile steel to reduce the weight and increase efficiency, and it is estimated the vessel will run on battery power for approximately 50 nautical miles – the distance between Gothenburg and Frederikshavn. To achieve this, the battery capacity will need to be approximately 60-70MWh and the vessel will be charged in port.
Stena Line is also looking into combining the electrification with alternative fossil-free fuels such as fuel cells, hydrogen and biomethanol for longer reach of the vessels.
“The electrification of shipping has only just begun. We see a great potential for both battery hybrids and battery-powered vessels on several of our short-sea shipping routes in the future. But, it takes more than electrical ships – we also need to develop the infrastructure and charging possibilities in the ports and terminals in the same pace and that is a reason why collaborations like this are so important,” concluded Mårtensson.