Westcon Yards Florø and Fjord1 have signed a contract outlining a project involving the hybridization of two passenger ferries, the MF Glutra and MF Fannefjord.
The focus of the project is to switch the vessels from LNG to electric propulsion by removing the existing gas system and installing battery packs and a control system, alongside backup engines that run on biodiesel.
Having been awarded the Nkr200m (US$22.7m) contract, Westcon Yards is aiming to position itself as a leading supplier of battery-operated ferries in Norway. “This is very gratifying,” commented Deon Mortensen, sales and projects director for ships, Westcon Yards Florø. “It is an important contract for us as a company and sends a very important signal to our employees. We will start working on the first ferry on November 1.”
The project is scheduled to be carried out between November 2021 and October 2022.