System will control speed of two double-ended battery ferries when they debut in 2018
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Rolls-Royce is to supply its first automatic crossing system to Norwegian ferry company Fjord1.
The first of its kind, Rolls-Royce’s Automatic Crossing System will be installed on Fjord1’s two new double-ended battery ferries, which have been developed by Norwegian ship design company Multi Maritime and will be constructed at the Tersan Shipyard in Turkey. The vessels are due for delivery in 2017 and will begin operating between Anda and Lote on Norway’s west coast on 1 January 2018.
Rolls-Royce’s Automatic Crossing System will automatically control the ferries’ acceleration, deceleration, speed and track. The vessels’ two energy-efficient Rolls-Royce Azipull thrusters respond adaptively to environmental conditions to ensure optimal behaviour and maximise efficiency.
The captain will supervise the automatic system and intervene using traditional manoeuvring systems if needed. In this first generation of the system, the captain will manoeuvre the ferry manually the last few metres to the dock. However, if the captain is unable to do so, the system automatically stops the ferry at a safe distance from the quayside. The next iteration of this product will extend the system to allow automatic berthing.
“The Automatic Crossing System has been developed with the company’s Ship Intelligence programme and will help the customer meet its contractual need to ensure predictable energy consumption optimised for varying environmental conditions,” said Jann Peter Strand, Rolls-Royce’s product manager of Automatic and Control – Marine. “It is a step on the road to realising Rolls-Royce’s goal of remote and autonomous vessels.”
The Automatic Crossing System can be installed as an add-on to any standard Rolls-Royce azimuthing thruster. This means the system can be retrofitted to existing ferries around the world.