GSI delivers first battery-hybrid ferry to P&O Ferries

China’s Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) has delivered the first out of two new battery-hybrid ferries to British ferry operator P&O Cruises.

As informed, the delivery ceremony for the vessel, named P&O Pioneer, took place on 28 February. After the delivery, the ship will be put into operation in the English Channel, mainly travelling between the port of Dover in the UK and the port of Calais in France.

The ship is 230.5 meters long, 30.8 meters wide, and has a service speed of 20.8 knots. There are 4 battery rooms on board the ship, equipped with a total of 1,160 large-capacity batteries, and the battery shipment capacity reaches 8.8MWh

There are two charging modes for the battery, one is to use the power supply on the dock to charge, that is, to complete the charging when the ship is docked at the dock for passenger and cargo loading; the other is to use the generator on the ship to charge while the ship is sailing 

When sailing, the excess electric energy can be recovered to the large-capacity battery on board, according to the company.

Technology company ABB was selected for supplying a full scope of integrated solutions for P&O Ferries’ new vessel, including electric, digital and connected solutions, and Azipod propulsion and energy storage.

The vibration and noise indicators of the ship meet the requirements of COMF (C-2, V-2) comfort classification symbols in the relevant rules and regulations of classification society DNV.

To remind, P&O Ferries ordered two next-generation battery-hybrid ferries from the Chinese shipyard back in 2019.