Fighting for the future of the fjords

Last month the Norwegian parliament passed a resolution to make its iconic fjords an emissions-free zone. Cruise and ferry operators must eliminate pollution from their ships as soon as technically possible and by no later than 2026. Just after the ruling – and around eight years ahead of schedule – a pioneering and aptly-named passenger craft showed how that could be done.

Future of The Fjords, a 42m long, carbon-fibre, all-electric catamaran, began operations in mid-May. It will carry around 400 passengers a time on 700 round trips a year along the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage listed fjord route between Flåm and Gudvangen. It is the first vessel of its kind to offer completely emission free transport through the beautiful landscape.

The vessel is the second in a series after Vision of The Fjords, a diesel-electric hybrid launched in 2016. Like its older sister, Future of The Fjords is notable for a hull design that mirrors the zigzagging mountain paths she sails beside, with both design and construction by Norwegian shipyard Brødrene Aa. But beneath the surface they are very different, explains Rolf Sandvik, CEO of ship owner The Fjords.

“It is our mission to safeguard the vulnerable environment we give access to, while providing the absolute optimal experience for our passengers,” he notes. “Vision of The Fjords was an important development for us, but we had the ambition to take it one step further and replace the diesel electric propulsion with all-electric – thus eradicating all noise and emissions to air for the entire route.”

The NOK144 million (€15.14 million) vessel is powered by two 450kW electric motors, enabling cruising speeds of 16 knots along the 90 minute each way voyage. In partnership with Brødrene Aa, an innovative charging solution has been developed. The Power Dock – a 40m long, 5m wide floating glass fibre dock, will sit at Gudvangen, housing a 2.4MWh battery pack. The pack charges steadily throughout the day through its connection to the local grid, which does not have the capacity to charge the Future of The Fjords directly. This allows the vessel to recharge in just 20 minutes.

PIONEER PARTNERS

The dock also stores consumables, including fuel for sister vessels, and allows black water to be offloaded for treatment on land – making Future of The Fjords the only passenger vessel not to discharge sewage directly into the fjords.

The Fjords, owned jointly by leading Norwegian ferry operator Fjord1 and local tourism promoter and distributor Flåm, relied on several technology partners to make its vision a reality. Class society DNV GL, which classed the vessel as a ‘light craft’, provided advisory and class services as well as guiding partners through the compliance process. Respected environmental organisation The Bellona Foundation also acted as a project consultant.

Working more directly on the ship systems themselves, independent systems integrator Westcon Power & Automation tailored the electric propulsion and battery system to The Fjords’ stringent environmental and operational demands. Controllable pitch propeller systems specialist Servogear also developed a unique solution for Future of The Fjords.

Funding support was provided by Enova, a Norwegian organisation promoting low emission solutions that is backed by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment. Finance was crucial as Future of The Fjords’ all electric propulsion solution pushed the cost of the vessel NOK54 million (€5.68 million) beyond that of its sister ship. Enova provided NOK17.8 million (€1.87 million) to help the vessel come to fruition, with a further NOK6.9 million (€725,700) for the power dock solution.

“Future of The Fjords marks the fulfillment of our dream to create a ship that safeguards the beautiful environment it sails through, while getting passengers closer to nature than ever before,” concludes Sandvik. “We believe this vessel sets new standards: demonstrating to maritime players worldwide that it is possible to have beautiful, functional, efficient and green vessels, as long as there’s both the necessary commitment and a team to help realise your goals.”

PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS – Future of The Fjords

Length: 42m
Width: 15m
Materials: Carbon fibre sandwich
Seats: 400
Class: DNV GL light craft
Electric motor: 2x450kW
Propeller: CPP propeller
Battery pack: 1,800kWh