Image credit: The Fjords

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Tourist ship owner and operator The Fjords has taken delivery of a new all-electric vessel.

The Future of The Fjords, a 42-metre-long carbon fibre 400 PAX all-electric catamaran, is due to begin operation in mid-May, making around 700 yearly round trips along the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage-listed fjord route between Flam and Gudvangen.

Future of The Fjords is an upgrade on its sister ship Vision of The Fjords - a diesel electric hybrid launched in 2016. According to The Fjords, it is the first vessel of its kind to offer completely emission-free transport through the Western Norwegian landscape.

The Fjords CEO, Rolf Sandvik, explained: "Vision of The Fjords was an important development for us, but we had the ambition to take it one step further and replace the diesel-electric propulsion with all-electric - thus eradicating all noise and emissions to air for the entire route. Future of The Fjords does just that, minimising its impact on the environment while maximising the experience of passengers who can now glide silently over the water and come closer to nature than ever before. Taking this delivery is a very proud day for us, and for our progressive owners Fjord1 and Flam AS. The future has arrived!"

The NOK 144 million vessel is propelled by two 450-kW electric motors, enabling cruising speeds of 16 knots along the spectacular 90-minute each way voyage.

Charging solution

In another first, The Fjords has, in partnership with Brodrene Aa, developed a charging solution called the Power Dock.

This 40m-long, 5m-wide floating glass fibre dock will sit in the water at Gudvangen, housing a 2.4-MWh battery pack. It charges steadily throughout the day via connection to the local grid network, which does not have the capacity to charge the Future of The Fjords directly. The innovative solution allows the vessel to stably, efficiently and cost effectively 'refill' in just 20 minutes.

What's more, the dock also stores consumables, fuel for sister vessels, and allows black water to be offloaded for treatment on land.