ABB to Provide Automated Shore Power and Propulsion to World's Largest Electric Ferries

ABB says it will provide automated shore-side charging stations and complete electric power and propulsion systems to two HH Ferries vessels, Tycho Brahe and Aurora.

ABB Tuesday announced that it will provide automated shore-side charging stations and complete battery power and propulsion systems to two HH Ferries Group (HH Ferries) vessels, Tycho Brahe and Aurora - said to be the world’s largest electric ferries.

With a combined battery power of 8,320 kWh across the two ferries, ABB says the solution is expected to lower total emissions across the fleet by more than 50 percent compared to current diesel-fueled vessels.

Tycho Brahe and Aurora will receive ABB batteries, energy storage control system, and Onboard DC Grid technology, while ABB’s IRB 7600 will used as part of the new charging station technology.

ABB explains that the automated charging stations utilise 3D laser scanning and wireless communication between ship and shore, reaching out to pull the shore connection from the ship within the last 400 mm of the ferry's approach before moving the vessel connectors to the corresponding shore connectors.

"This order goes to the very core of what we do at ABB," said Juha Koskela, Managing Director of ABB’s Marine and Ports business unit, adding: "these are highly innovative solutions in line with our Next Level strategy, improving the efficiency while lowering the environmental impact."

Operating solely on battery power, the two ferries are said to be slated for operation on the 4 km route between Helsingør, Denmark and Helsingborg, Sweden.

"The ferry services across Scandinavia and the Nordic region are leading the world in terms of progressive environmentally friendly solutions. ABB is at the forefront of this revolution," said Koskela.

The project is co-financed by the European Union's (EU) Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA), notes ABB.

In April, ABB announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cavotec SA (Cavotec) to jointly offer complete shore power solutions to ports around the world, a move that ABB said would encourage the development of "green ports."