VESSEL REVIEW | Nerthus – Danish operator's new cross-strait ferry boasts hybrid electric propulsion

A new double-ended Ro-Pax ferry was recently handed over to Danish ferry company Molslinjen.

Nerthus was designed by Danish naval architecture firm OSK Design in compliance with Bureau Veritas (BV) class rules and Danish flag regulations. It is the first in a series of two ordered by the same owner.

Compliant with autonomous functionality requirements

The ferry has a length of 116.8 metres (383.2 feet), a beam of 18.2 metres (59.7 feet), a draught of 3.2 metres (10 feet), a deadweight of 600, and space for 600 passengers and up to 188 vehicles.

The propulsion arrangement consists of Echandia air-cooled batteries with a total output of 3.1 MWh, Danfoss permanent magnet motors and four Schottel SRE 270 900kW azimuthing thrusters housing fixed-pitch propellers, while four Scania 493ekW generators powered by hydrogenated vegetable oil will serve as backups for the batteries.

The batteries can deliver a service speed of 17.5 knots.

The vessel is also designed to comply with BV's “green passport” and autonomous functionality notations such as those for auto-crossing and auto-berthing operations.

Even the charging of the batteries to full capacity can be performed automatically and completed in as little as 20 minutes during turnarounds and while passengers and vehicles are being loaded or offloaded. The charging infrastructure was supplied by Danfoss.

First in a new class

The ferry has been laid out to ensure a high degree of passenger comfort through compliance with Scandinavian accommodation standards.

Nerthus will be operated on Molslinjen's Samsølinjen route to and from the island of Samsø in the Kattegat while sister vessel Tyrfing will serve the company’s Ballen-Kalundborg route following its delivery later this year.