World's Largest Hybrid Ferry gets Rolls-Royce Power
Rolls-Royce announced that it received an order for four B33:45L diesel engines to power the world’s largest hybrid ferry being built for the Norwegian cruise and transport company Color Line.
The ferry, designed by Fosen and to be built at Ulstein Verft in Norway, is due for completion by the summer of 2019 and is scheduled to operate on the crossing between Sandefjord in Norway and Strømstad in Sweden.
The new Color Line ferry will be a plug-in hybrid combining diesel and electrical power. The batteries will be recharged via a power cable with green electricity from Color Line’s own shore facilities or recharged on board by the ship's generators. The 160-m long vessel will have a capacity for 2,000 passengers and 500 cars.
The contract comes with an option to provide engines for a second vessel. The Bergen B33:45 in-line diesel engine from Rolls-Royce was first introduced at SMM, Hamburg, in September 2014. Available with six, eight or nine cylinders, nearly 60 engines have been sold to date.