ABB to retrofit Tallink ferry with shore power solution

Written by Marine Log Staff
Megastar will reive ABB shore power retrofit

Tallink Grupp shuttle vessel Megastar. [Photo Tallink Grupp ]

Estonian operator Tallink is to fit its LNG-fueled 2,800-passenger, 646-car Megastar ferry with an ABB shore connection system that will allow to plug into the local grid for quiet and emission-free overnight layovers in the Port of Tallinn.

The Megastar, delivered in 2017, makes three round trips between Tallin and Helsinki, Finland, each day, with an overnight stay in Tallinn where it needs to keep generators running to ensure energy availability for onboard systems. With ABB’s shore connection solution, the vessel will be able to cover its energy needs in port by drawing on land-based power.

Commissioning of the ABB shore power solution is due to take place in January 2022 while the Megastar is in operation. A second Tallink vessel, the MyStar, currently under construction at the Rauma Marine Constructions shipyard in Rauma, Finland, will have the technology pre-fitted upon its delivery in 2022.

Both ferries will use the ABB shore power systems installed at the Old City Harbor, Port of Tallinn, in 2020. Designed in compliance with international regulations, the plug-in solution automates the ship-to-shore connection process and offers a high level of safety and reliability.

“We are delighted to continue driving environmentally-friendly ferry operations across our fleet,” said Capt. Tarvi-Carlos Tuulik, head of ship management at Tallink Grupp. “From next year, both the shuttle ferry Megastar and our newbuilding MyStar—the most environmentally friendly vessel on the Baltic Sea—will be able to leverage the ABB shoreside infrastructure that already exists at the Port of Tallinn’s Old City Harbor, to cut down harbor emissions and noise during overnight stays. This is another important step for Tallink Grupp towards achieving greener energy use and eco-friendliness for our shipping operations close to city centers, and it will make a big difference to local community in terms of minimizing noise and air pollution.”

“The Baltic Sea is a global hub for sustainable shipping initiatives, and we are honored to support Tallink on its sustainability journey,” said Jyri Jusslin, head of service, ABB Marine & Ports. “Our shore connection solutions comprise onboard and shoreside infrastructure and will allow Tallink to reduce the overall impact of its operations and contribute towards a cleaner port environment in a historical part of Tallinn.”

ABB’s scope of supply for the Megastar retrofit includes switchboard, shore connection cabinet and a shore connection control board with three separate ship-to-shore communication links to safeguard against loss of connection—redundant Wi-Fi, optical fiber and hardwired serial data communication. Megastar also features ABB’s propulsion motors, medium voltage generators and thruster motors.

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