Color Line orders world’s largest hybrid

Color Line has agreed on a letter of intent for the construction of the largest hybrid vessel in the world.

The vessel is planned to service Sandefjord-Strömstad in Scandinavia from summer 2019. The ferry is a plug-in hybrid, where the batteries are recharged via a power cable with green electricity from their own shore facilities or recharged on board by the ship’s generators.

The vessel, with the working title Color Hybrid, will have almost double the capacity of Bohus, scheduled to be phased out when the new ferry will enter operation. The ship will have full battery power into and out of the fjord to Sandefjord. It will therefore not release harmful emissions in this area.

Color Line has installed shore power facilities in Oslo, Larvik and Kristiansand. With shore power in Sandefjord installed, all Color Line Norwegian ports will have shore power facilities. 

The world’s largest plug-in hybrid ferry will be 160 metres long and have a capacity of 2,000 passengers and about 500 cars. 


Alex Baird

Alex Baird is the Managing Director of Baird Maritime