ELDEST OPERATIVE VESSEL TO BECOME FINLAND'S FIRST ALL-ELECTRIC FERRY

In 1903 Ab Vulcan won the public tender process and signed the contract with the City of Turku to build a city commuter ferry - Föri. Over a century later, in 2016 City of Turku arranged a new tender process for Föri. Mobimar was honoured to sign a contract of converting this mobile icon into an all-electric ferry during spring 2017.

This ferry follows the trends in world shipbuilding. In 50 years of age she was converted from steam to diesel. The City of Turku has now ordered from Mobimar Ltd a new conversion of  Föri from diesel-hydraulic to all-electric propulsion.

The ferry Föri shuttles 400 times a day across the Aura river in the city. The crossing takes in average two minutes and the change of passengers one minute. The all-electric Föri will be powered from batteries that are charged during the nights. The electric motors a coupled through a gearbox to the propeller chain wheels. In the concept solution it was important to restore the exterior of the vessel.

The engine and steering spaces will be totally renewed. The diesels and hydraulics will be removed and replaced by two electrical drives, simultaneously improving the redundancy and making it possible to run on one or two motors (ice conditions).

The all-electric solution is based on a DC grid, which feeds the inverter to increase the voltage and distribute the current, which will be converted to AC at each device. The DC grid involves less electrical losses and is more reliable. The DC grid to the Föri as well as the permanent magnet (PM) motors will be supplied by Visedo Ltd from Lappeenranta. Visedo has already vast experience in PM motors and power transmissions in buses, heavy work units, yachts and special vessels.

The shuttle ferry Föri will be dry-docked at Mobimar in March and the vessel is back in service before May 1st in 2017.