The Fjords takes delivery of zero-emission vessel

Future of The Fjords, a 42m-long carbon fibre all-electric catamaran, will begin operation in mid-May, making around 700 yearly round trips along the UNESCO World Heritage listed fjord route between Flåm and Gudvangen. It is the first vessel of its kind to offer completely emission-free transport through the fragile Western Norwegian landscape.
Future of The Fjords is the sister ship to Vision of The Fjords, a diesel-electric hybrid ferry launched in 2016. Although both ships are designed and constructed by Norwegian shipyard Brødrene Aa, with hulls that mirror the zigzagging mountain paths they sail beside, they are very different once you scratch the surface, as The Fjords CEO Rolf Sandvik pointed out: “
“Vision of The Fjords was an important development for us, but we had the ambition to take it one step further and replace the diesel-electric propulsion with all-electric – thus eradicating all noise and emissions to air for the entire route. Future of The Fjords does just that, minimising its impact on the environment while maximising the experience of passengers who can now glide silently over the water and come closer to nature than ever before.”
The NOK 144 million vessel is propelled by two 450-kW electric motors, enabling cruising speeds of 16 knots along the spectacular 90-minute one-way voyage. In another first, The Fjords has, in partnership with Brødrene Aa, developed a unique charging solution called the Power Dock.
This 40m-long, 5m-wide floating glass fibre dock will sit in the water at Gudvangen, housing a 2.4-MWh battery pack. This charges steadily throughout the day via connection to the local grid network, which does not have the capacity to charge the Future of The Fjords directly. The system allows the vessel to stably, efficiently and cost effectively ‘refill’ in 20 minutes.
What’s more, the dock also stores consumables, fuel for sister vessels, and allows black water to be offloaded for treatment on land. This makes Future of The Fjords the only passenger vessel not to discharge sewage directly into the fjords.