Fjord1 chooses propulsion system for new battery-electric ferries    

Tersan Shipyard has contracted Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) to act as the system integrator for four newbuild electric and autonomous feries. 

Each of the 120m long ferries will be driven by German propulsion maker Schottel’s typre SRE 340 EcoPellers. Among the vessel-specific details, an L-Drive variant of the system reduces the installation height of the drives and elimination of the upper gearbox will reduce mechanical losses and result in significantly lower energy consumption. And Fjord1 said the elimination of the top gear brings another significant advantage: less vibration and noise on board, improving the passenger experience.

Each Schottel unit has a propeller diameter of 2,100 mm and an output of 1,200 kW. The drives will come equipped with Schottel’s condition monitoring system MariHub. 
Fjord1 competitor Torghatten has previously reported that the retrofit of a double-ended ropax ferry with two of Schottel’s SRE 340 L CP propellers helped reduce the vessel’s energy consumption by up to 25%.

Fjord1’s ferries will be used in the Sognefjord, about 60 miles North of the city of Bergen on the west coast of Norway from September, 2026 operating between Lavik and Oppedal.

The introduction of automation and autonomous systems – including autocrossing and car docking will take place in 2027, and the autonomous navigation system will be implemented in 2028. The move to autonomy will be overseen from a land-based control centre that will monitor the ferries and, where appropriate, control the vessels remotely. 

The new electric, autonomous ferries are being built by Turkish yard Tersan, designed and engineered by Norway’s HAV Design, to move passengers along the short Lavik-Oppedal route along Norway’s northwest coast. Each ship will be able to take on 399 passengers, including crew, along with 120 cars, and will be able to operate with autonomous navigation.