ABB debuts automated charging for HH Ferries

The 111m vessels ‘Tycho Brahe’ and ‘Aurora’ ply the busy 4km route between Helsingør (Denmark) and Helsingborg (Sweden), serving 7.4 million passengers and 1.9 million vehicles a year. ABB will provide battery systems each with a power of 4,160kWh, energy storage control and its Onboard DC Grid power distribution system.

On shore, an industrial robot will be used to optimise the connection with an automated charging station, maximising charging time. During the last 400mm of the ferry’s approach, and IRB 7600 robot will reach out and pull the shore cable from the ship to the corresponding connectors below the robot. All pre-docking procedures are based on 3D laser scanning and wireless communication between ship and shore.

Juha Koskela, managing director of ABB Marine and Ports said: “These are highly innovative solutions in line with our Next Level strategy, improving the efficiency while lowering the environmental impact.”

‘Tycho Brahe’ will be back in full operation mid-2017, with ‘Aurora’ returning to service early in the fourth quarter. The investment from HH Ferries is co-financed by the European Union’s Innovation & Networks Agency (INEA).