After three months of intense reconstruction, MS “Kongen” is now back in place in the Oslofjord – loaded with a 26-ton battery pack. This means that during the summer, the country’s largest car-free passenger service has taken a big step towards becoming emission-free. It marks an important contribution to the goal of an emission-free Port of Oslo.
– As Europe’s environmental capital, Oslo can boast that Kongen is the first boat to be converted to electric operation. It’s noticed – and Oslo is a pioneering city in the electrification of public transport internationally,” says Oslo City Councilor Raymond Johansen. In recent years, we have worked very hard to cut emissions. With shared ambitions, drive and determination, we are succeeding with good environmental solutions that contribute to a better city to live and travel in.
Last October, Norled, as operator of the B10 Nesodden – Aker Brygge service, signed a change order to the existing contract with Ruter to electrify the three boats Kongen, Dronningen and Prinsen. The first boat has now been converted at Horten Skipsreparasjoner (HSR)
– “Having an electric ‘Kongen’ in place in Oslo today, just ten months after we announced that the Nesodd boats will be electrified, shows that it is worthwhile to set environmental requirements, and that there is the will, expertise and solutions available in Norway to succeed in creating a more environmentally friendly alternative,” says Lan Marie Berg, City Councilor for Environment and Transport in Oslo.
Zero emissions in ten months
The electrification of Kongen contributes to a 34 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from boat traffic and a reduction in annual NOx emissions from the boats by more than five tons, or about 12 percent.
– This summer, Akershus has taken a regional climate boost with a modernization of bus services in Romerike, and electrification of Kongen, as the first Nesodd boat. “The fjord is a central transportation artery that binds our region together, and this is first and foremost a happy day for the 2.8 million annual travelers with the Nesodd boats, who get an emission-free and even quieter journey,” says Akershus County Mayor Anette Solli.
“Electrifying the three boats that run between Aker Brygge and Nesoddtangen will help to eliminate emissions of CO2, NOx and particles from the three boats. This will result in a CO2 reduction of approximately 70 percent of Ruter’s total boat transport, when the three boats are electric. Annual NOx emissions will be reduced by 20 tons, which accounts for 45 percent of emissions from boats.
Ingvald Løyning, CEO of Norled, CEO of Ruter, Bernt Reitan Jenssen, Marius Gjerset of Zero, City Councilor for Environment and Transport, Lan Marie Berg, Nesodden Mayor Truls Wickholm, Chair of the Executive Committee for Transport, Solveig Schytz and County Mayor of Akershus, Anette Solli.
25,000 working hours to become emission-free
The work to convert MS “Kongen” from liquefied natural gas to electric operation started at the beginning of June this year. The work that HSR has done on MS “Kongen” has been extensive, with 150 men working 25,000 hours. It started with the dismantling and removal of the gas system, gas tank and all the gas equipment on the ship. This amounted to a total of 36 tons of iron. Before starting the process of building the 26-ton battery, part by part and below deck, it was necessary to build and secure new rooms and foundations due to the size and weight of the battery. The 2018 KW/h battery system was then installed in the room where the gas tank was previously located. The new electric battery pack is equivalent to the batteries found in 20 Teslas or 50 Nissan Leafs.
– This is an important milestone for Norway, Oslo and Nesodden, and we at Norled are very pleased that we get to lead the way and contribute to an emission-free public transport system together with Ruter. Many people have contributed to our success, and the willingness to cooperate and the attitude we have experienced from not least Horten Skipsreparasjoner, but also our client Ruter and other partners, has been important. It’s no use just talking about green visions and goals, we need to take action, and the drivers and executors behind an electric “Kongen” are gratifying proof of this,” says Norled CEO Ingvald Løyning.
A piece of industrial history
While the boat has been rebuilt at Horten Skipsreparasjoner this summer, work is underway to install fast charging on the quay. There is extensive construction of a new transformer station inside the historic building at Rådhusbrygge 4, with Sporveien as the developer. A modern eight MW shore power system is being installed here, which is enough power to electrify all of Ruter’s boat transport.
– “We know that it’s important for people to be able to travel as sustainably as possible. So we need to be able to offer customers that opportunity. That’s what we’re doing when we electrify the country’s heaviest car-free passenger line. We see it as a good investment in green technology, which is important and the right thing to do,” says Bernt Reitan Jenssen, CEO of Ruter.
– Electrification is also helping to write a piece of industrial history on land by building a compact transformer station in the middle of Aker Brygge in a listed building. The ten meter high charging plug that Kongen will be connected to and charge for about eight minutes, will be a symbol that new climate solutions are happening, here and now.
Facts about Nesoddbåtene and Rådhusbrygge 4:
- Nesoddsambandet B10 consists of the three boats Kongen, Dronningen and Prinsen.
- In 2018, the Nesodd boats carried 2.8 million passengers, out of a total of 4.4 million travelers.
- A change order was signed on 17 October 2018 for the electrification of B10 Nesoddsambandet. The contract has a duration until 30.06.2034.
- The electrification of the B10 is estimated to have an additional annual operating cost of approximately NOK 8 million until 2034.
- The ten meter high automatic charging plug is manufactured in Italy.
- The boats have biodiesel generators as a backup solution, making it possible to run all day.
- The target for Oslo and Akershus is emission-free public transport in 2028, and for boats the ambition may be achievable as early as 2024.
- Stakeholders involved in the redevelopment of Rådhusbrygge 4: Bymiljøetaten, Hafslund, Port of Oslo, Norled, Sporveien and Ruter.
