SWEDISH shipping has launched a new co operation to push forward electrification. The collaboration, called Electromobility in Shipping, sees the Swedish Shipowners Association working with ABB, Stena, Swedish battery company Northvolt and RISE, the research institute.
At a special launch event in Stockholm last week the collaboration was hailed as a chance to expand Swedish exports by Mikael Damberg, Sweden’s Minister for Enterprise and Innovation.
“By working together and using all the knowledge that Sweden possesses, we have a unique opportunity to continue to be world leader in climate smart shipping. Innovative solutions are required to strengthen Swedish competitiveness while promoting sustainable transport. We are therefore very glad that we today take great steps forward in the right direction together by signing a unique Memorandum of Understanding for Electromobility for shipping,” said Pia Berglund, Vice President, Swedish Shipowners´ Association.
Sweden already has two ferries operating on battery power. Scandlines owned H-H line between Helsingborg in the south of the country, and Helsingör, in Denmark, has converted two of its four vessels to run off electricity. The vessels shuttle between the two ports on a regular run all day with only a short stop in each port each time. In order to enable charging the system uses a robotic charging arm to connect the vessel up.
Sweden is not the only country pushing forward with the electrification of shipping. The country’s neighbpurs are also active in electrifying short sea shipping. The Norwegian actively supports battery power, pushing contractors offering services across the country’s meany fjord to turn to clean power, and in Finland the Elektra, another first of a kind ferry recently showed the way forward.
Stena Line has perhaps the biggest plans to date.A project with Stena Jutlandia, will see the vessel slowly turn electric if things work out well, and demonstrate the potential to use electric power on ever larger vessels. The project will consist of three phases, where the last phase, possibly in 2030, could see the vessel sail under battery power right across the Skattegat between Sweden and Denmark, a distance of about 50nm.
Stena AB chief executive Dan Sten Olson pointed to the sustainablility agenda that is important to Stena, and Sweden, The company is no stranger to looking at new power for its ships, it has recently finished the conversion of another ferry, Stena Germanica, to run totally of methanol. “We are constantly evaluating new ways to reduce our impact on the environment,” said Olsson. “Batteries and electrification are an important part of Stena’s sustainability strategy and we are proud to be part of developing solutions for future transport through this collaboration”.
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