Wasaline’s RoPax ferry Aurora Botnia cleared for commercial service following upgrade of onboard battery capacity from 2.2 MWh to 12.6 MWh
Wasaline has successfully completed sea trials of its RoPax ferry Aurora Botnia following a major upgrade to the vessel’s onboard battery system. The project has seen battery capacity expanded from 2.2 MWh to 12.6 MWh, marking the largest battery installation ever fitted on a RoPax vessel worldwide.
The new batteries, supplied by marine battery manufacturer AYK Energy, can store nearly five times more energy than the previous battery packs, significantly enhancing the vessel’s energy efficiency and environmental performance.
Chris Kruger, Founder, AYK Energy said: “AYK is delighted to undertake this groundbreaking upgrade for Wasaline. Our companies share a passion for innovation and decarbonization. It is especially pleasing for AYK to deliver this project on time and on budget. The time for electric vessels has come. Marine battery technology is improving so fast with superior levels of energy density, safety and cost savings. The Aurora Botnia retrofit shows what is possible. Hybrid ships have a very big future, not least because the ROI is so fast. Battery systems can pay for themselves within just a few years in fuel savings.”
Peter Ståhlberg, Managing Director of Wasaline, said: “The Vaasa-Umeå route is the first international green shipping corridor in operation. There’s growing demand for environmentally friendly transport in Europe. The entire transport chain can be carbon-neutral today. Expanding our battery capacity with AYK Energy is a major step that allows us to make our vessel even more sustainable. Our collaboration with Finland’s and the region’s energy clusters makes innovative solutions like this possible.”
The upgrade was started in normal operations and finalized at BLRT Repair Yards in Finland. Wärtsilä completed the system integration within a tight schedule, ensuring minimal operational disruption. The Danfoss drives were configured for the added batteries and updated to their latest versions, equipping Aurora Botnia with state-of-the-art drive technology. Foreship did the evaluation and basic design.
” This has been an interesting but also highly demanding project, particularly given the limited timeframe. The entire propulsion system was upgraded during docking, and battery optimization continued while the vessel was back in operation. Our partners did a tremendous job,” says Jonas Teir, Technical Director of Wasaline.”We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all above partners involved, to Rescue Team Finland for excellent on site assistance with everything from fire watches to installation work, to Tallinn Shipyard for steel and pipe works and a special thanks to the entire crew especially the technical department onboard for their professionalism and extreme adoptability that is needed to execute this kind of a project during normal operations.”
With this milestone, Wasaline further strengthens its position at the forefront of sustainable maritime transport and technological innovation.
