Norwegian ferry company Fjord1 is to use Rolls-Royce’s automatic crossing system on two of its double ended battery ferries as they cross between Anda and Lote on the west coast of Norway.
The crossing system works by automatically controlling the vessel’s acceleration, deceleration, speed and track to improve energy efficiency and safe transportation. Each vessel will feature two Rolls-Royce Azipull thrusters that respond to environmental conditions to ensure optimal behaviour and maximise efficiency.
The automatic crossing system can be installed as an add-on to any standard Rolls-Royce azimuthing thruster and can therefore be retrofitted to the existing fleet of ferries.
If needed, the captain can intervene and take over automatic controlling system. If for some reason the captain is not able to take manual control, the system stops the vessel at a safe distance from the quayside and keeps it safely positioned automatically until further action can be taken.
In the future Rolls-Royce hopes to develop a next version of the system, which will allow automatic berthing.
The vessels are due for delivery in 2017 and will begin operation on January 1, 2018.
Ship Efficiency Review News
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