Shipbuilder will construct seven fully electric ferries for use in Copenhagen, Denmark
By
Elly Yates-Roberts |
Arriva Danmark has ordered two additional passenger ferries from Damen Shipyards Group, extending its original order for five passenger ferries to cover seven vessels so it can provide longer ferry routes in Copenhagen, Denmark. In July 2018, Arriva contracted Damen to deliver five fully electric Damen 2306 E3 vessels for cover passenger routes in the central area of Copenhagen. Since then, Danish public transport agency Movia has extended the intended routes of its ferry service to the port area by roughly 50%.
The two new will also be designed in line with Damen’s E-Cross range of electric vessels, which are more efficient and economically viable than traditionally powered ferries. These vessels will also produce zero emissions, provide enhanced manoeuvrability and will have low maintenance requirements. Their adaptability ensures Damen can provide a fully integrated shore and ship solution for Copenhagen’s ferry service.
The route extension has added four stops to the original route, which has forced Damen to consider new power requirements.
“The team investigated 10 possible scenarios to determine how multiple variables would affect the performance of the ferries on the longer route,” said Martin Verstraaten, sales manager at Damen. “We also needed to determine how power demands would influence the cost impact in order to find the best way of incorporating the additional requirements.”
Having considered the feasibility of adding charging points along the route with increased capacity, the port’s conditions caused the project to become more complex. “According to the motion report we produced, the ferries must be secured to the jetty in order to access the fully integrated battery charging system,” said Bastiaan Vink, design and proposal engineer at Damen.
To tackle this, the shipbuilder has developed an auto-mooring system that will be installed at each jetty. This will increase safety and reduce energy use.
The first five vessels will be delivered according to contract, with the two additional vessels expected in May 2020.