Construction starts on Norled’s new battery-powered ferries

Construction has commenced on Norled’s new battery-powered ferries at Türkiye’s Tersan Shipyard, part of Tersan Group.

As informed, the steel-cutting ceremony for the battery-powered ferries commissioned by Norled took place on October 24, 2024, in Yalova, Türkiye.

The project represents a significant milestone since this is the first time Tersan Shipyard and Tersan Havyard have collaborated on a mutual project. The Turkish company completed the acquisition of Havyard Leirvik Shipyard, one of the group companies of Eqva, in November last year.

Each ferry will measure 84.5 meters in length and 15 meters in width, accommodating 60 cars and 250 passengers, including crew members. With a battery capacity of 8,000 kWh, these vessels will boast “the largest battery capacity of any ferry in Norway to date”. The company contracted Norwegian firm Brunvoll to supply azimuth propulsion thrusters and thruster control systems for four ferries.

The four battery-hybrid ferries, which are designed by Norway’s LMG Marin, will operate on the Stokkvågen-Lovund and Stokkvågen-Træna routes. The shipowner expects that they will contribute to more sustainable and energy-efficient ferry services and achieve emission cuts by up to 90 percent.

Norled will operate the vessels on the route from 2027, and all four ships will be delivered from shipyard Tersan Havyard Leirvik during 2026.

Recently, Tersan Shipyard also held a steel-cutting ceremony for the first of four battery-powered autonomous double-ended ferries ordered by Norwegian ferry operator Fjord1. The four ferries—designed by Norway’s HAV Design—are expected to be the first in the world to operate independently, without human intervention.