New electric ferry to curb Asian emissions

It recently re-launched the popular Cijian Island passenger ferry, retrofitted with a Visedo electric propulsion system to replace its original diesel engine. Now, the Kaohsiung City Government plans to retrofit the rest of its diesel fleet to help reduce pollution levels around Taiwan’s largest harbour.

Visedo OY, a leading Finnish manufacturer, worked with thee Taiwan’s Ship and Ocean Industries R&D Centre (SOIC) to complete the retrofit.

Kimmo Rauma, Visedo, CEO said: “Given the geography, ferries are a vital mode of public transport across East and Southeast Asia but they are also the most energy intensive per kilometer travelled. Until now, diesel ferries have been a dirty but necessary part of life around harbours like Kaohsiung.”

He added: “In Hong Kong for example, passenger ferries make up the majority of licensed vessels in Victoria Harbour, where it’s estimated air pollution kills about 3,200 people every year.”

Kaohsiung’s new e-ferry will be called Ferry Happiness and will transport 15,000 passengers every day to Cijian Island at a top speed of nine knots.

the ferry will help share the eight million passengers who travel the 650m route every year. It’s estimated the electric propulsion will save more than 25,000lt of fuel every year.

ChihHung Lin, head of SOIC’s system development, explained “Like many East Asian harbour cities, in Kaoshiung ferries play a key role for everyday public transport, often playing the role that buses do elsewhere.”

He concluded: “Taiwan’s ‘Harbour Capital’ has long suffered from air pollution and only a few years ago the average person was consuming double the national Taiwan average of carbon dioxide.

“In response the Kaoshiung City Government is committed to cleaning up its fleet and is currently considering the possibility of replacing all 11 of its vessels with this new type of e-ferry. This also includes embarking on a hybrid tug-boat project.”