Cavotec books more orders for e-ferry unmanned mooring systems

Cavotec MoorMaster units are in use at a growing number of ferry terminals

APRIL 20, 2018 — Lugano, Switzerland, headquartered Cavotec SA is set to revolutionize the operation of e-vessels by delivering and maintaining its automated, unmanned, mooring system MoorMaster for e-ferry terminals across Norway.

The orders are worth approximately EUR 9 million (about $11 million), of which EUR 4 million was booked in the fourth quarter of 2017.

On completion of these projects, Cavotec will have equipped more than 40 e-ferry terminals in Scandinavia with MoorMaster systems.

“These projects demonstrate the unrivalled suitability of MoorMaster for e-ferry applications, and the importance of the technology for this rapidly growing segment in Norway and beyond,” says Gustavo Miller, President Ports and Maritime Division at Cavotec.

MoorMaster is ideal for e-ferry applications because the units keep vessels in pre-programmed positions to maximize the amount of time available to charge ship battery units. The technology also reduces overall CAPEX for operators, and delivers substantial operational and safety benefits, says Sofus Gedde-Dahl, Sales Director E-Ferries at Cavotec.

With a stated aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40 per cent, Norway has led the introduction of electrically powered and hybrid vessels. Cavotec has become a significant partner in this effort through its development of innovative automated charging interface and mooring technologies.

Cavotec systems have moored and charged the world’s first fully electric car ferry, the MF Ampere, since it entered service in 2015. Following the success of the MF Ampere application, Cavotec mooring and charging technologies have been introduced at a growing number of e-ferry berths in Norway, Finland, and Sweden.

To date, more than 260 MoorMaster units worldwide have performed some 330,000 moorings in applications worldwide.

“The rapid introduction of e-ferries in Norway has been the dominant driver for the wider adoption of MoorMaster in recent years, a development that we see being replicated in neighbouring markets such as Finland and Denmark,” says Gedde-Dahl.