FERRIES 2023: Battery options for ferries panel discussion

A panel will explore battery options for ferries at Marine Log’s FERRIES 2023 conference next week on November 14-15 in Jersey City, N.J. (Credit: Incat Crowther)

Back in August, it was announced that longtime Incat Tasmania customer Buquebús followed through on its plan to switch a 130-meter ferry under construction at the shipyard from LNG to all-electric propulsion.

The switch to all-electric brought Corvus Energy an order for what will be the largest battery system installed onboard a ship—in this case, a ferry. With more than 40 MWh of energy storage, it will be four times as big as the current largest installation. The order for the ESS was awarded Corvus by Wärtsilä, the electrical system integrator for the vessel which will have e-motor driven Wärtsilä waterjets as its main propulsors.

Both Corvus and Wärtsilä will join AYK Energy Ltd., an Andorra-based marine battery manufacturer, on a panel that will explore battery options for ferries at Marine Log’s FERRIES 2023 conference next week on November 14-15 in Jersey City, N.J.

In addition to battery options for ferries, the panel will answer the questions to things, such as:

• What extend should we utilize standard designs vs. custom designs?
• What are the benefits of customized ferry designs, particularly in electrical system design?

The panel, moderated by Glosten President Morgan Fanberg, includes the following speakers:

• Mark Keneford, Managing Director, Wärtsilä Canada
• Aron Rader, Vice President Sales, Americas, Corvus Energy
• Edward Carney, Global Sales Director & Marine Engineer, AYK Energy Ltd.

FERRIES 2023: The Conference

Set to take place at the Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson, November 14-15 in Jersey City, N.J., the 36th annual Marine Log FERRIES conference will have as its theme “Designing today’s ferries for future operations.”

The venue, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking ferry traffic on the Hudson River, is a quick ferry ride from New York City.

Delivering two days of in-person discussions, dynamic Q&A sessions, and multiple networking opportunities, FERRIES 2023 will be an opportunity for the North American ferry industry to come together to share experiences, network, look for new suppliers and reconnect with existing suppliers.

The art of designing or upgrading ferries takes a lot into consideration outside of the vessel’s blueprints. Making a greener ferry is a design choice and so is enhancing the passenger experience.

FERRIES 2023 will focus on how today’s ferries—those under construction, coming online soon, or already in operation—can be prepared for the changing scope of future operations.

As ever, a focus of the program will be on lessons learned from hard-earned, real-life experience. In addition, the program will explore new ways to meet economic and environmental targets through advances in technology, innovative approaches to operating a vessel, and the latest trends in ferry design.

In addition to thought leaders presenting on topics relevant to the ferry industry, three panels have been incorporated in this year’s program focused on ferry operator challenges and successes, battery options for ferries, and an interesting overview and look at the new Governors Island ferry project.

Other topics will explore leveraging shoreside terminals and infrastructure to increase profits; low-carbon alternatives, such as electric, hydrogen and hybrid options; what’s trending in ferry designs being delivered today; and more.

The Tour

Following the end of conference sessions, on November 15, an industry tour will be provided to a limited number of attendees. This year’s tour will have attendees board a NYC Ferry vessel and tour the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where it will learn more about NYC Ferry’s Homeport Pier C, its deisgn and construction.

Guests will also learn the history of the area and discover plans for Homepoort II in Red Hook. Hornblower will round out the conversation with an inside look at NYC Ferry’s marine operations and more.

The complete agenda can be found here.

For inquiries regarding sponsorships or ways you can connect with FERRIES 2023 attendees, contact David Harkey at dharkey@sbpub.com.

The Sponsors—So Far

The following organizations are signed up to sponsor FERRIES 2023, although more will be announced soon:

Anchor (Platinum)

VPS (Platinum)

Bayonne Dry Dock (Cocktail Reception)

Siemens Energy (Pre-Conference Cocktail Party)

W&O (Luncheon)

PPG (Registration)

Coastal Marine Equipment (Laynards)

ABB (Gold)

Glosten (Gold)

Diesel Direct (Gold)

All American Marine (Silver)

BMT (Silver)

Christie & Grey (Silver)

EMS Marcon (Silver)

GL Power (Silver)

Neste US (Silver)

Hamilton Jet (Silver)

Karl Senner (Silver)

Kongsberg (Silver)

Zinus Power (Silver)

MTU – A Rolls-Royce Solution (Silver)

NCP Coatings (Silver)

RIX (Silver)

Schottel / elkon (Silver)

J&A Enterprises / Soundown (Silver)

United Safety & Survivability Corporation / Fireboy-Xintex (Silver)

Vulkan (Silver)

Marine Jet Power (Silver)

BAE Systems (Bronze)

CANAL (Bronze)

Conrad Shipyard (Bronze)

Crowley (Bronze)

C-Job Naval Architects (Bronze)

Cummins (Bronze)

Elliott Bay Design Group (Bronze)

EV Maritime (Bronze)

Wärtsilä (Bronze)

LeBlanc & Associates LLC (Bronze)

MOPS (Bronze)

PROP (Bronze)

Rigidized Metals (Bronze)

SSI (Bronze)

The Shearer Group (Bronze)

Thrive Payments (Bronze)

World Wide Metric (Bronze)

360 Coverage Pros (Bronze)

ZF Group (Bronze)

Allied Marine Crane (Bronze)

Artemis Technologies (Bronze)

CMP Global (Bronze)