Norwegian shipbuilder Havyard has christened the first battery-powered ferry ordered by transportation company Fjord1.
The christening ceremony for MF Husavik was held at the yard in Leirvik in Sogn on May 14.
“The competition for these assignments was tough, and it’s very motivating to witness the christening of our very first battery-powered ferry which is almost ready for delivery,” Lasse Stokkeland , Executive Vice President of Havyard Ship Technology AS, commented.
This is the first of thirteen battery-powered ferries with autocrossing functionality that will be built for Fjord1 at Havyard Ship Technology in Leirvik. MF Hausvik will operate the Husavik–Sandvikvåg service in Hordaland county.
Autocross, a system for automatic fjord crossing, has been delivered and developed by Norwegian Control Systems. The system calculates the course and speed, as well as acceleration and retardation, that results in the most efficient and economical crossing. The autocross system is monitored by the captain, who can take over manual control if necessary.
As of May 8, 2018, Fjord1 had an existing fleet of 64 ferries with a total capacity of 5,453 PCE, in addition to four passenger boats.
In addition to the existing fleet, the company has 22 hybrid electric ferries to be delivered over the next two years. Thirteen ferries are being built by Havyard, three by Tersan, three by Sefine, two by Cemre and one by Fjellstrand.