Battery-Powered Fast Ferry MS Medstraum Named Ship Of The Year

Corvus Energy congratulates Fjellstrand Verft, Kolumbus and all partners in the Maritime CleanTech cluster for recognition as Skipsrveyen’s Ship of the Year for MS Medstraum—the world’s first zero-emission all-electric fast ferry.

“Ship of the Year 2022 goes to a vessel that not only offers many technical innovations but also has great transfer value to other vessels in this group, as well as in the maritime sector in general,” Skipsrevyen states in their press release following the award presentation at SMM in Hamburg, the world’s largest shipping exhibition. Read more from Skipsrevyen

Corvus Energy is honoured to have been selected by the system integrator, Wärtsilä, to provide the battery energy storage system (ESS) on board MS Medstraum.

The 2022 Ship of the Year award was presented to Edmund Tolo, Head of Research and Development, at Fjellstrand AS, which designed and built MS Medstraum, and to Marianne Chesak, County Mayor of Rogaland, where shipowner Kolumbus will operate the fast ferry. Image Credit: Corvus Energy

Corvus Energy recommended the Corvus Dolphin Power ESS from its portfolio of ESSs for this fast ferry application—a 147-passenger catamaran operating around the clock with crossings lasting between 35 and 40 minutes. The Corvus Dolphin ESS on board MS Medstraum has battery capacity of 1524 kWh and shore charging power of 2.3 MW. The lightweight Corvus Dolphin Power ESS, combined with the ferry’s other innovative lightweight and streamlined design features, enable the fast ferry to travel at high speeds energy-efficiently.

“Fast ferries require a lot of energy, so we needed to make Medstraum lighter and a lot more efficient than traditional fast ferries. We’re very happy and proud to have accomplished that. It is revolutionary that a vessel of this size can operate at 23 knots for an entire hour by electricity alone,” says Edmund Tolo, Head of Research and Development, at Fjellstrand AS.

“This is a milestone for passenger transport and an important step in decarbonizing shipping,” said Halvard Hauso, Chief Commercial Officer of Corvus Energy. “Corvus was proud to provide the battery for Ampere, the first fully electric car and passenger ferry, which paved the way for the 70+ emission-free ferries that are operating in Norway and around the world now. We expect that Medstraum will likewise prove that the technology is ready for zero-emission high-speed passenger ferries and kick off the electrification of the world’s fast ferries.”

MS Medstraum is the first vessel resulting from the TrAM (Transport: Advanced and Modular) project, funded by the European Union’s EU Horizon2020 Research and Innovation program and the Rogaland County Council, and facilitated by the Norwegian cluster Maritime CleanTech.

Medstraum recently went in operation for operator Kolumbus on the commuter route between Stavanger and Hommersåk on the west coast of Norway. “Even though operating on our least energy-demanding route, Medstraum will cut our emissions by 1,500 tonnes a year. That’s the equivalent of 60 buses,” said Mikal Dahle, Project Manager at Kolumbus, which operates ten conventional fast ferries.

It is estimated that if the technology from this year’s winner is transferred to all similar vessels in Norway, emissions will be reduced by 500,000 tonnes/year. Globally, the fast ferry segment holds enormous potential to reduce carbon emissions from the commuter and passenger transport sector.

Press Release

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