By
Rebecca Gibson |
Chinese shipbuilder Guangzhou Shipyard International has contracted ABB to supply a full scope of integrated power, propulsion, automation and energy storage solutions for P&O Ferries’ two new hybrid-power vessels.
Each of the 230-metre-long ferries will be equipped with ABB’s hybrid propulsion system, which comprises 8.8-megawatt batteries and diesel generators. The vessels will use battery power during harbour manoeuvres and while docked in port, cutting fuel consumption on P&O Ferries’ Dover-Calais route by 40 per cent. In future, they will be able to operate with zero emissions once more shoreside power stations are available.
Both ferries will have a double-ended design, with a bridge and a pair of 7.5-megawatt Azipod propulsion and energy storage units at each end to eliminate the need for the ships to turn around at each port. Instead, the captain and senior officers will walk to the opposite bridge, saving seven minutes and one ton of fuel on every outbound and return journey – a sixth of the amount P&O Ferries currently uses on the 21-mile crossing.
ABB will also install its ABB Ability Marine Pilot Control system on both ferries to automate some navigational tasks and enable bridge officers to focus on optimising overall ship control and positioning.
In addition, the vessels’ engines will be equipped with ABB’s Power2 two-stage turbocharging system to enhance power efficiency and achieve up to five per cent in fuel savings, as well as to decrease nitrogen emissions by up to 60 per cent. ABB will also integrate its Power and Energy Management System with the electrical system to improve the flow of information across shipboard systems and optimise power use.
“The P&O ferries under construction at the Guangzhou Shipyard International are truly iconic,” said Zhongqian Chen, chairman of Guangzhou Shipyard International. “We are delighted to strengthen our strategic cooperation with the technology leader ABB and to work together on this leading-edge project, considering ABB’s proven supplier status in the global ferry market.”