Spotted: Tycho Brahe to Become Emission-Free Ferry

The images show M/F Tycho Brahe, one of the two HH Ferries’ vessels that will be converted to emission-free ferries.

Swiss-based power and automation technology group ABB will equip the two ferries, M/F Tycho Brahe and M/F Aurora, with 4.16 MW batteries providing further propulsion and Swedish Öresund Dry Docks will carry out the work.

The two ferries will operate completely on battery power between Helsingør (Denmark) and Helsingborg (Sweden), carrying more than 7.4 million passengers and 1.9 million vehicles annually.

The dry-docking of Tycho Brahe will begin in April and it will start operating as a fully electric ferry immediately when work is completed. Aurora will undergo the same process in October 2017.

”Our conversion of the Tycho Brahe and Aurora ferries to battery operation is an essential part of our environmental strategy to reduce emissions and reduce the environmental footprint of our operations on Öresund,” Henrik Rørbæk, CEO of HH Ferries AB, said.

The project also includes the installation of four fully automated shore-side charging arms and these are currently under construction in ABB’s factories.

At both ends of the route, ABB will supply the first automated shore-side charging stations using an ABB industrial robot, to optimize the connection time and therefore maximize the charging period.

The new battery solution is expected to help lower total emissions across the fleet by more than 50 percent from the current diesel operated vessels, ABB said.

The SEK 300 million (USD 33.13 million) investment is co-financed with SEK 120 million by INEA, the EU’s executive agency for innovation and network.

Image Courtesy: ABB