By
Alex Smith |
ABB has delivered its shore connection technology for Viking Line’s fast ferry, Viking XPRS, enabling the vessel to connect to a land-based power supply.
The ferry is currently deployed on the route across the Baltic Sea between Tallinn, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland, docking in the Estonian capital twice a day. ABB’s shore power systems were installed by the Port of Tallinn on five of its piers in Old City Harbour earlier this year.
“ABB’s shore connection is the latest initiative in our ongoing sustainability programme,” said Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, senior vice president of corporate communications at Viking Line. “Installing a shore connection system onboard Viking XPRS and having the shore power available in the Port of Tallinn will make a significant contribution to clean air within the port and its surroundings. We have successfully collaborated with ABB on a number of projects, and the fact that ABB provides installations aboard ship and in port, with prompt delivery and backed up by 24-hour support, has proved compelling.”
ABB has supplied a shore connection control with three separate ship-shore connection links to ensure fail-safe connections. The company has also provided a medium-voltage switchgear, a 11kV-400V transformer, a circuit breaker bypass arrangement and a low-voltage main switchboard breaker. The equipment meets the new safety and environmental standards for shore connections now required by the International Electrotechnical Commission.
“It is an honour to support Viking Line in its journey toward sustainable shipping,” said Jyri Jusslin, senior vice president and head of service at ABB Marine and Ports. “Our shore connection is designed for all types of ships, with safety and simplicity in mind. This is also another key step in ensuring that Baltic Sea ports continue on their forward-looking path to eliminate emissions.”