ABB
Automated charging systems power electric ferries in Scandinavia
The ferries Tycho Brahe and Aurora, which operate for Öresundslinjen between Helsingborg in Sweden and Helsingör in Denmark, made history in 2018 as the largest battery-electric ferries in the world. The vessels’ conversion from diesel to electric propulsion marked a significant step forward in sustainable maritime transportation. Prevas was contracted by ABB to develop and implement the automated charging infrastructure on both the Danish and Swedish sides of the route.
Automated charging with precision
The charging system uses precision robotics to connect the vessels to shore power. Using tachymetric measurements and ship-to-shore communication, the automated arm establishes a charging connection during each port call. The process takes between 5 and 9 minutes, providing sufficient power for the twenty-minute crossing while maintaining the ferries’ frequent scheduled departures.
“Öresundslinjen, formerly ForSea, is a highly valued customer of ABB Marine & Ports,” says Mikko Palo, Project Manager at ABB. “At ABB Marine & Ports, we uphold the highest standards of quality, as reflected in our new slogan, "Engineered to Overrun." This slogan signifies our commitment to delivering solutions that exceed expectations. Consequently, we meticulously select our subcontractors to ensure the utmost quality and innovation.”
Technical innovation in maritime environment
The original 2017-2018 implementation faced unique technical challenges, particularly in adapting industrial robotics for maritime use. The system had to account for ship movement through algorithmic prediction, while managing communication latencies.
“In this case, we used ABB industrial robots,” says Sampo Siuko, Director of Technology and Business Development at Prevas. “We had to make an enclosure for the robot to protect it from elements like temperature, wind, rain and snow. There are huge currents in the charging cables and those currents can influence the digital signals, which had to be taken into account as well. The most challenging adaptation was to develop an algorithm to forecast the ship movements and tell the robot where to position the plug.”
Expanding sustainable maritime solutions
Building on the initial implementation a third vessel, M/F Hamlet, on the Helsingborg–Helsingör route, is currently undergoing electrification. Achieving reliable operation in a dynamic maritime environment required extensive testing of different technologies to determine optimal solutions. With the ongoing electrification of M/F Hamlet, Prevas team is right on track to deliver the system on Q1/25. After this, the installation of the charging unit will start.
“We have had to make some tailoring for the charging unit to be able to fit all necessary systems to this particular vessel, but the team has done an excellent work,” says Sampo Siuko. “We made a 3D scan survey of the vessel beforehand and were able to modify the structures accordingly.”
Long-term impact on organization and competence
Following the initial project in 2017–2018, Prevas recognized that having key competencies in-house proved to be crucial for complex maritime projects. This led to restructuring of the organization, refinement of processes, and the building of internal capabilities in automation and software engineering. These strategic changes have significantly enhanced our project execution.
“The first project has provided valuable insights into the integration of maritime robotics and taught us a lot about project delivery,” explains Sampo Siuko. “In delivery projects one needs to pay attention to procurement, reception acceptances, testing, commissioning, both technical and contractual interfaces between different companies, risk management, site activities, and so on. Before this project our approach for system deliveries was more based on a product development focus, now, we learned that, in order to be efficient, we need to be able to manage all these different areas, not just product development.”
I am pleased for us entrusting a significant portion of the project to the most capable hands for this scope.
Mikko Palo, Project Leader at ABB
A partnership that delivers
“Prevas has proven to be an ideal partner in meeting our unique solution requirements, enabling our customers to achieve superior performance,” says Mikko Palo, Project Manager at ABB. “I am pleased for us entrusting a significant portion of the project to the most capable hands for this scope. The proactive cooperation exhibited by Prevas has been impressive, even though I was already aware of their strong expertise and proactive attitude.”