HH Ferries Group takes visible steps on path to battery operation
Tycho Brahe and Aurora have both been docked for a short period of time at the shipyard in Landskrona for installation of containers and deckhouses for batteries and other technology.
Tycho Brahe and Aurora have been re-commissioned on the route, and the changes to the ferries’ profiles are very visible when they cross Öresund.
“We chose to decommission the ferries for a couple of days in order to be able to install the battery containers at this early point in the conversion process. That provided us with the option of recommissioning the ferries as soon as possible as technicians are subsequently able to continue working in and around the containers even though the ferries are in operation between Helsingborg and Helsingör,” said CEO Henrik Rørbæk, HH Ferries Group.
The containers and deckhouses will contain batteries, transformers, converters and cooling systems, and the preparations for connecting technical installations in the containers and the ferries’ engine rooms were completed in September 2016.
“The containers on the ferry’s top deck are very visible proof of the project’s progress, and we are on-track to have the first ferry sailing purely on battery power ahead of the summer timetable. We are looking forward to introducing battery operation as the first ferry operator in the world with a high-intensive timetable as ours,” said Henrik Rørbæk. It is an inherent part of HH Ferries Group’s strategy to emphasize initiatives with a positive environmental impact. Since 2007, the ferries between Helsingborg and Helsingör have adhered to the emission regulation introduced on 1 January 2015. With the installation of batteries, emissions are further reduced compared to the current emissions regulation.
The conversion of the two ferries is the largest single investment project in the company’s history with an estimated cost of nearly SEK 300 million. INEA, the EU’s executive agency for innovation and network, has chosen to support the project with approximately SEK 120 million.
Scandlines Helsingborg-Helsingör is an efficient ferry route, transporting up to 50,000 passengers and 9,000 cars across Öresund on a daily basis with departures every fifteen minutes. The modern vessels on the route offer travellers a short travel time of 20 minutes and a pleasant break with the option of shopping at low prices and enjoying a wide selection of food and beverages on board.
In 2016, Scandlines Helsingborg-Helsingör transported 7.3 million passengers and 1.4 million cars, 410,000 trucks and 20,000 buses, corresponding to around 20% of the vehicles crossing Öresund. The route promotes integration and growth in the Öresund region, and is operated by 750 employees. It operates on a daily basis to ensure an efficient connection between Denmark and Sweden with a view of making travellers’ crossing as pleasant and efficient as possible. The route furthermore contributes to generating up to 2,000 jobs in the region.