World's First Fully Electric Vessel Wins Award

The Norled owned and operated Ampere was said to save about one million litres of fuel annually.

DNV GL (DNV) Monday announced that the 2015 Seatrade Award for clean shipping was awarded to the Norled owned and operated Ampere, the world's first fully electric driven vessel.

"Norled are proud to be the first ferry operator to operate the world's first zero emission ferry," said Sigvald Breivik, Technical Director at Norled upon receiving the award on behalf of the project partners.

The DNV GL classed car ferry is a fully battery driven catamaran made of aluminium with a capacity to carry 120 cars and 360 passengers, and makes a 20 minute trip across the Sognefjord between Lavik and Oppedal, Norway 34 times per day.

Designed and constructed by Fjellstrand AS, Ampere was said to feature a slim and highly efficient aluminium hull and is powered by an on-board 1MWh lithium-polymer battery pack that can be charged in ten minutes.

Battery buffers have been installed at both Lavik and Oppedal ports, enabling a continuous draw of power from the electrical grids of the two villages to maintain the battery's charge time without overburdening the villages' grids.

DNV says that Ampere, one of three ferries that runs between Lavik and Oppedal, saves about one million litres of fuel annually and prevents 2,640 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere as compared to a standard diesel ferry serving the same route.

Additionally, DNV notes that all-electric ferries can produce fuel cost savings of 50 percent to 80 percent.

"Vessels such as the Ampere demonstrate how the industry can use existing technologies to improve its impact on the environment, while at the same time maintaining economic operations," Narve Mjøs, Director Battery Services and Projects at DNV GL – Maritime, said while commenting on the ship's accolade. 

In 2014, Ampere also received the annual Ship of the Year award from the Norwegian shipping magazine "Skipsrevyen" at the SMM global shipping exhibition in Hamburg.

In January, Norway declared intentions to obtain the world's greenest coastal fleet.