Rolls-Royce (RR) Marine is to supply its Autocrossing system to a total of 13 new environmentally friendly ferries for the Norwegian company Fjord1.
The vessels are currently being built by three yards in Turkey and two yards in Norway. All contracts also include two azipull propellers for each vessel with accompanying propeller control system from RR.
With this contract, RR has sold autocrossing to a total of 18 new ferries to operate along the coast of Norway, of which 16 have been ordered by Fjord1 and two by another Norwegian ferry company, FosenNamsos Sjø.
Automatic Control of Acceleration, Deceleration, Speed and Track
The new generation of environmentally friendly ferries have strict yearly limits on energy consumption as part of the commercial agreement between the ferry operator and the Government. The automatic crossing system provides safe, predictable and energy-efficient transit back and forth by automatically controlling the vessel’s acceleration, deceleration, speed and track. The two energy-efficient Azipull thrusters respond adaptively to environmental conditions to ensure optimal behaviour and maximise efficiency.
Human Intervention
The vessel’s captain will supervise the automatic system and intervene using traditional manoeuvring systems if needed. If the captain is not, for some reason, able to take manual control, the system stops the vessel at a safe distance from the quayside and keeps it safely positioned automatically until further action can be taken.
Autonomous Shipping Testing Area
Andreas Seth, RR, SVP Electro, Automation and Control said: 'Five of the new vessels will operate in one of Norway’s two designated test areas for autonomous ship technology. This is a perfect location as the Autocrossing system from RR is indeed a step on the journey towards increased autonomous and remote navigation.'
Add-on
The Automatic Crossing System can today be installed as an add-on to any standard RR azimuthing thruster. This means the system can be retrofitted to the existing fleet of ferries around the world.
New Ferries
Overview of shipyards building the 13 new ferries for Fjord1:
- Havyard Ship Technology, Norway: 5 ferries
- Fjellstrand, Norway: 1 ferry
- Tersan Shipyard, Turkey: 2 ferries
- Sefine Shipyard, Turkey: 3 ferries
- Cemre Shipyard, Turkey: 2 ferries
Earlier this year, Fjord1 took delivery of three new ferries from Tersan, with Autocrossing installed, while the two ferries for FosenNamsos Sjø are under construction at Kleven’s Myklebust shipyard in Norway.
Picture by Fjord1.
