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Norwegian firm Fjord1 has confirmed that it will be operating two new battery-powered ferries on E39 Anda-Lote, located on Norway's west coast, from January 1st, 2018.

Although the Norwegian Road Administration has allowed for part-hybrid ferry operation using biogas or biodiesel on one of the ferries, Fjord1 is taking its ferry operations one step further by planning for full electric operation of both vessels.

Battery capacity will be sufficient to operate the vessels for several hours on one charge, and charging of batteries will be through entirely automatic charging stations at the quayside.

Capacity-wise, the cargo maximum will be 349 passengers, 12 trailers and 120 cars, with construction beginning at the Turkish-based Tersan Shipyard in October.

Developed by Norwegian ship design company Multi Maritime in cooperation with Fjord1, the vessels will be an eco-friendly addition to Norway's public transportation system.

"We sincerely hope that these two projects will be the start of a long-term partnership between the parties," commented Nurettin Paksu, chairman of the board at Tersan Shipyard.

Multi Maritime's managing director, Gjermund Johannessen, said his company was "very pleased that Fjord1 have selected our most recently developed leading technical solutions".

"The new generation battery ferries to be built are of a flexible design, developed with high focus on environmentally friendly solutions and energy efficiency, without compromising safety, cargo capacity or comfort for passengers and crew," he added.

Facts about the new ferries:

- Design: MM 103 FE EL.

- Class: DNV GL +1A1, Car Ferry B, Battery power, E0, R4 (nor).

- Length: 106,2 metres.

- Width: 17,2 metres.

- Battery capacity: approximately 1000 kilowatt hours (kWh).

- Cargo capacity: 120 cars, 12 trailers.

- Passengers: 349 including crew.

- Crew accommodation: 4 double and 3 single cabins, pantry, mess/dayroom, ship's office etc.

- Batteries: Will be fully charged via automatic charging stations at quayside during unloading/loading of passengers and vehicles -Power consumption: Optimised for lowest possible power consumption. Automatic mooring system will allow the vessel to keep its position at the quay without using thrusters.

- During operation on the Anda-Lote fjord crossing, estimated power consumption of each ferry will be 50% of that of its conventional diesel-powered counterpart.

- Annual power consumption of both vessels will be equivalent to that of 200 homes.

- Fully electric / plug-in hybrid: Although Fjord1 intends to operate the ferries entirely electrically, the vessels will be equipped with biodiesel generators, which open up the potential for plug-in hybrid operations on other crossings in the future.

The ferries are scheduled to be in operation from 2018 to 2027. Multi Maritime have come up with in excess of 100 ship designs, with more than 50 of these being passenger and car ferries. These new eco-friendly battery-powered ferries are Multi Maritime designs number 14 and 15 for Fjord1.