First electric ferry with automatic fjord crossing delivered for Norway's inland sector

First electric ferry with automatic fjord crossing delivered for Norway’s inland sector

Norwegian shipbuilder Havyard delivered the first of thirteen battery-powered ferries with automatic fjord crossing functionality at Norwegian transport conglomerate Fjord 1. The ferry 'Bnr 132 MF Husavik' was christened on 14 May in a ceremony at the yard in Leirvik in Sogn.

The autocross system calculates the course and speed, as well as acceleration and retardation, that results in the most efficient and economical crossing. Currents, wind and other factors are also taken into consideration. The autocross system is monitored by the captain, who can take over manual control if necessary.

MF Hausvik will operate the Husavik–Sandvikvåg service in Hordaland county (Austevoll municipality and Fitjar municipality).

The propulsion system was delivered by Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) and the delivery includes battery systems, generators, DC panels with converters, AC panels, a charging system, transformers and software. NES’s technology includes Odin’s Eye, which was designed to ensure safe and efficient energy transfer between the vessel's two DC systems.

Norwegian Control Systems (NCS) is delivering the integrated alarm system (IAS), the bridge solution Concept Bridge and the Power Management System. The very stringent requirements for environmental reporting of ferry operations have been implemented in the total system, which will also communicate with the onshore charging systems to ensure a safe and efficient charging cycle.

The Concept Bridge solution contains a self-developed autocross system. The autocross system will control the speed and power of the vessel’s propeller and set the crossing route, with the defined acceleration and retardation curves that will be the most economical in relation to the estimated time of arrival. The speed is adjusted throughout the crossing to ensure that the energy consumption is as low as possible.

This system is NCS’s first step towards autonomous vessels, an area in which the company is carrying out further research and creating innovative control systems for the future.

We regard this as an autonomous system, since the speed and power during the crossing are controlled by a separate system. The next stage in this development will be autodocking functionality, which will be integrated in these vessels to ensure greater autonomy and predictability in relation to energy consumption.