Cemre Shipyard and Torghatten Nord have signed a contract to build a new ferry for the Bognes-Lødingen route in the northern part of Norway. The double-ended car and passenger ferry, developed by Norwegian Ship Design, will be designated NSD120CFc and will operate with zero emissions in exposed waters on the route. Typical service speed on the one-hour crossing is 13-14kts. The transit time and speed will be a new record for Norwegian battery-powered ferries.
The vessel will normally operate on battery-electric power, charged from the onshore grid through high-capacity automated charging connections. In cases where shore power is unavailable, bio-diesel generators will provide sufficient power for normal operation.
The ferry will be specified with two independent propulsion and power systems, arranged so that after a single fault (such as fire and flooding), at least one of the two independent power and propulsion systems will remain operational. The 117m vessel will have a passenger capacity of 399. It will be built according to DNV class rules and will fly the Norwegian flag.
“Torghatten Nord is [the] proud winner of the next tender period on the Lødingen-Bognes connection, with groundbreaking zero-emission vessels, after operating the same ferry connection for 10 years with low-emission LNG ferries. The solution represents a shift in relation to crossing time and vessel size operated by zero-emission battery ferries. As a shipyard with high competence within future technology, Cemre is the selected shipyard for building this vessel,” said Eirik Olsen, COO of Torghatten Nord.
“We are happy to work with Norwegian Ship Design and Torghatten Nord on this environmentally friendly and innovative project,” added Burak Mursaloğlu, head of business development at Cemre Shipyard. “We believe, as the fruit of this successful partnership, the vessel will take its place among the prestigious vessels in the sector when completed.”
“We are proud to be selected as the ship design partner in this innovative project, and we look forward to continuing our cooperation with Torghatten Nord and Cemre Shipyard,” said Hans Kristian Dyrli, manager of project development at Norwegian Ship Design. “The vessel is designed with a special focus on low energy consumption. Energy efficiency permeates the general design as well as most systems and technical solutions on board. As always on our designs, safety, comfort and traffic efficiency will be first rate.”