Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein Verft has delivered Color Hybrid, the world’s largest plug-in hybrid ship, to compatriot cruise and ferry company Color Line.
As explained, Color Hybrid introduces new solutions to reduce noise and emissions and would provide increased capacity on the route between Norway and Sweden.
The vessel is a plug-in hybrid, where the five-megawatt batteries can be charged with environmentally friendly power from shore power in Sandefjord. It will go silently in and out of the fjord of Sandefjord without emissions of harmful environmental gases, or nitrogen and sulfur compounds to air in the area.
The battery pack weighs 65 tons and can be recharged in one hour. The ship also has a heat reservoir of five megawatts which utilizes heat from both the wake and the exhaust for heating. This, together with an optimal hull construction, helps to make the vessel energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
“The construction of the world’s largest plug-in hybrid vessel is in line with the company’s ambitions for further development of sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions for Norwegian shipping,“ Trond Kleivdal, Color Line CEO, commented.
With a length of 160 meters and a beam of 27.1 meters, the newbuild is able to accommodate 2,000 passengers and 500 cars.
Postponed from July 26 to August 9, Color Hybrid’s maiden voyage will be from Sandefjord to Strømstad.
“We are pleased that the ship is ready for operation and that passengers very soon can experience traveling with Color Hybrid,” Gunvor Ulstein, CEO of Ulstein Group, said.