Different Approaches To Decarbonisation By Ferry Companies

[SilverDot]

At the Maritime Hybrid, Electric & Hydrogen Fuel Cells Conference Stena and DFDS have outlined their approaches to decarbonisation.

DFDS are aiming for 45% reduction by 2030 and neutrality by 2050 initially by fitting existing ferries with technologies to reduce fuel consumption. After that they are looking at ammonia and fuel cells, starting with ammonia engines and then moving possibly to fuel cells depending on how technologies develop. They then might crack ammonia to extract the hydrogen in costly and more complicated fuel gymnastics but reliant on technological developments to make practical. Or all battery bearing in mind the Dover Straits promises.

Stena are going down the methanol and bio-fuels route, working on methanol powered ferries for eight years already, and testing bio-fuels on various vessels in the extended Stena fleet including tankers as an intermediate step. Long term full batteries, the Brittany Ferries' E-Flexers (11.3MWh) and Stena NewMax (9MWh) are stepping stones to get there, leading to a vessel like the Stena Elektra concept design(75 MWh) currently costed ~$200m to build but uses a lot of composites and aluminium. Does that price reflect the drops in battery prices and associated technology or priced at last years highs - in last 18 months a 33% drop to approach all time lows? The price will drop further as technologies develop.

See Stena Elektra also.
 

[VikingGlory]

Future full battery, as in long routes like Sweden-Latvia with a 100% Electric ferry? That's impressive, they're the first company I've heard speak about electric operations for something more than a 2 hour crossing max. 

It's very interesting to see all the different camps and approaches. Thanks for sharing! Is Stena Elektra still on schedule to be ordered in 2025? Or was that not named?

 

[SilverDot]

Stena Elektra is an evolving concept vessel and not sure will every be built as such, more the technologies will go into other ferry design evolutions - E-Flexer 2/3 (is NewMax E-Flexer 1.5/2?) or current vessels as they get adapted. I am sure that lessons learnt from Elektra will be found in the E-Flexers hybrids being built currently, not waiting for a future Stena Super Ship to launch. Many other aspects like aluminium superstructures and composite materials are already being incorporated into current electric and non-electric vessels including ferries.