Wasaline ferry to be fitted with a hybrid power system

Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) has signed an agreement to deliver the power systems for the new Wasaline ferry.
The vessel will be fitted with a hybrid power generation system, as well as an electric propulsion system rarely used in ropaxes, which will improve its environmental efficiency.
The systems will be supplied by several companies operating in the Vaasa area – including ABB, WE Tech, VEO, and Danfoss/Vacon.
Last January, a contract was signed to build the newropaxby Kvarken Link, owned by the City of Vaasa and the municipality of Umeå, and the Finnish shipbuilder RMC.
The vessel will operate between Vaasa in Finland and Umeå in Sweden.
RMC CEO,Jyrki Heinimaa, said; “A wide network of partners is very important to RMC – we could not operate without it. We are very happy to participate in building this new, environmentally friendly vessel together with our partners in the Vaasa region.”
The new vessel will replace the 1981-built‘Wasa Express’.
She will be fitted with an electric propulsion system, designed specifically for vessels with a high Ice Class. She will also be fitted with ABB’s Azipod azimuthing propellers.
The vessel’s hybrid power solutionwill be designed together with RMC’s technology partner WE Tech Solutions. The electric main switchboards will be provided by VEO, the propulsion drive system with a novel frequency converter solution will be manufactured by Danfoss/Vacon, the energy storage system with Li-Ion battery packages will be provided by Leclanché, and WEG will manufacture the generators.
The energy storage system is designed for the vessel’s harbour operations without the use of main engines. This means that the propulsion and the ship’s general power will be battery driven, RMC explained.
This system is charged from shore power, which is also used for the vessel’s other power needs during her stay in port.
Power for the propulsors is to be generated by an integrated system, which can use the dual-fuel engines or the energy storage system chargeable from the shore. The main source of fuel for the dual-fuel engines, provided by Wärtsilä, will be LNG. The engineswill be able to also run on biogas, which will significantly reduce the vessel’s emissions.
“The vessel’s propulsion solution with battery technology represents the latest design for emission reduction in marine transport. As an example, when the vessel is approaching the harbour, the main engines of the vessel can be switched off and the vessel can operate the remaining distance utilising battery power. This enables the vessel to arrive at the harbour with no further emissions,” explainedPeter Ståhlberg, Wasaline CEO.
The new ferry is scheduled for delivery in April 2021 and it will operate daily between Vaasa and Umea.