Molslinjen selects Echandia batteries for new all-electric RoPax ferries

Written by Nick Blenkey
Echandia systems offer a weight advantage

The ferries are prepared for automatic docking and charging at quay. The Echandia energy storage systems will be fully charged in 20-25 minutes.

Two new all-electric RoPax ferries on order at Cemre Shipyard in Turkey for Denmark’s Molslinjen A/S will have Echandia energy storage solutions.

Designed by OSK-ShipTech A/S, the double-ended ferries will have a capacity of 600 passengers, and 188 cars and a total length of 116.8 meters. They will serve on two routes – Alslinjen (Bøjden-Fynshav) and Samsølinjen (Ballen-Kalundborg) — awarded to Molslinjen in August.

The electrical system is designed to provide redundancy in any case of failure. Each ferry will be equipped with four steerable thrusters driven by permanent magnet motors. There will be four back-up generators, each rated at 493 ekW and fueled by hydrogenated vegetable oil. In normal operations, only the battery system will supply the required power.

Echandia says the choice of its system was made based on a substantially lower total cost of ownership combined with its safety features and low weight.

“Echandia battery systems have a high degree of utilization of installed capacity, which results in an overall system size and weight that few competing systems can match,” says the company. “As an additional advantage, this leads to a significantly smaller carbon footprint.

“The total cost of ownership, combined with the products high level of safety and low weight were key factors in selecting Echandia as battery supplier. In addition, choosing a system with longer lifetime makes perfect sense from a sustainability perspective,” says Ole Berg-Hansen, chief engineer at Molslinjen

In the past, Echandia has successfully delivered battery systems to the tugboat commuter passenger ferry markets,The contract for the new Molslinjen ferries takes Echandia into the market segment for larger RO/RO and ROpax ferries.

“For Echandia, this is a yet another breakthrough. Molslinjen is showing the way, and we believe that many other operators will follow their example in the future,” says Echandia CEO Fredrik Hellström. “For us, the deal means a step towards supplying larger passenger ferries where weight, total cost and safety are important aspects.”

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