Short-sea potential of fossil-free ferries

摘要

Short-sea trades and ferry crossings offer some of the least complex opportunities to deploy carbon-reducing propulsion technologies. They provide useful waters for testing new fuel technologies, experts say, which may later be adapted for deepsea applications. Northern Europe is a hotspot for such initiatives, with biofuels, batteries and fuel cells all being tested as key components in pilot projects. Many of these involve close collaboration with ports where new infrastructure is often required to support the new sources of shipboard energy.A recent example is the announcement by Sweden's Stena Line that it plans to introduce fossil-free ferries on the route between Scandinavia's largest port, Gothenburg, and Frederikshavn in Denmark by 2030 at the latest. The project is part of the Transzero Initiative in which Gothenburg aims to reduce end-of-decade port emissions by 70%. Other partners include the Volvo Group and commercial vehicle manufacturer, Scania.