ABB’s Onboard DC Grid enables the Vision of the Fjords to switch to battery power when it reaches the spectacular Nærøyfjord in Norway. As well as transporting tourists, the Vision of the Fjords serves the local community by delivering mail to remote homesteads situated along the shore. The hybrid power system also means the impact on the UNESCO-listed fjord is minimized, says ABB.
“Our vision is to be greener in all our business areas, particularly on the Nærøyfjord,” said Rolf Sandvik, CEO of The Fjords. “We have felt ABB has been as eager as us to get this technology working, they have been more or less living on this ship until it was finished.”
Battery technology is playing a growing role in the maritime industry, particularly in Norway where regulation will require all ferries to move away from fossil fuels.
Captain John Nauckhoff, who has worked on some of the cruise industry’s largest vessels, sees a bright future of battery power in the maritime sector, “I think it will come more and more. It is just so easy, it’s clean and it’s nice and it’s good for the environment, so I think it is really good.”
ABB is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees.