138-Year-Old German Passenger Vessel Converted to Electric Power

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday May 14, 2024

A 138-year-old German passenger vessel has been converted to run on electric power.

Engineering firm Torqeedo has retrofitted the Kaiser Friedrich, built in 1886, with twin Deep Blue 50i motors and a 400 kWh Deep Blue battery bank, it said in an emailed statement on Monday.

The 150-passenger vessel resumed service on May 13, taking tours of Berlin.

"Whisper-quiet, environmentally conscious and free of local emissions, the Kaiser Friedrich will again be available to the people of Berlin," Julius Dahmen, co-owner of the vessel, said in the statement.

"This is the third Berliner Welle excursion boat that we have converted to Torqeedo electric drives, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration."