After the previous deliveries of three hybrid ferries and one fully electric ferry, Schlepp- und Fährgesellschaft Kiel christened their second electric ferry ‘Wellingdorf’ on August 22. The christening ceremony took place in Kiel, Prof. Katja Matthes, director of the Geomar Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel, skillfully smashed the bottle of sparkling wine on the new electric ferry.
The ‘Wellingdorf’ measures 24,70 by 7,20 m and she is a sister vessel of the previous delivered ‘Düsternbrook’. The vessel is completely emission-free and entirely powered by battery power with an installed capacity of 1092 kWh. Besides the battery pack the vessel has 20 solar panels on the roof to provide the onboard power supply network.
Where almost all ferries referred to as ‘fully electric’ still have backup power provided by a diesel engine, the ‘Wellingdorf’ has no such backup and gets redundancies from the split battery system. This means that the ferry propulsion really is all-electric.
A noteworthy system on board of the ferry is the non-conventional automated mooring system which features electric-hydraulically operated mooring hooks in both sides of the ship. The mooring system is easily controlled from the wheelhouse by the captain. While moored, no power has to be directed to the propulsion system, resulting in a reduction in energy consumption.
RENEWING CURRENT FLEET
With the new vessels, SFK is renewing their current fleet. The replacement of the fleet is in line with the environmental goals set by SFK and the city of Kiel. The city of Kiel aims to be CO₂ neutral by 2050 and expects shipping to play a major part in this shift. Replacing the fleet is the essential step to reach the aspirational target and Holland Shipyards Group is proud to contribute to this.
