- Norled has a history dating back 163 years and has always been at the forefront of innovation and new technology. We have succeeded with a lot, and in recent years Norled’s battery ferry MF Ampere has been one of the industry’s most significant innovations with major positive ripple effects for both the environment and operating costs,” says Lars Jacob Engelsen, Deputy CEO of Norled.
Norled is a wholly owned Norwegian company and one of the country’s largest ferry operators, ranked 4th in the world for express boats.
In a symposium with 150 Norwegian and 500 Indian business leaders on Monday, Engelsen will talk about how Norled, through continuous innovation in collaboration with strong Norwegian and foreign technology partners, a strong Norwegian shipbuilding industry and forward-looking Norwegian authorities, has succeeded in creating the basis for a significantly greener ferry and express boat industry.
- Seen by many as the epitome of a successful zero-emission ferry industry, the MF Ampere has received significant international attention since its launch in 2015. By 2022, the battery technology piloted by Ampere will be implemented in 72 ferries in Norway. “Norled wants to be a driving force for the use of green technology, and it is with great pleasure that we share the experiences and learning points we have gained with Indian authorities and industry,” says Engelsen.
While Norway has long traditions as a seafaring nation, India has more limited history and experience when it comes to shipping, fisheries and aquaculture, as well as renewable energy and marine biotechnology. How India can better utilize and preserve the ocean’s assets is therefore a theme during the official visit. The Indians have launched a comprehensive and long-term investment program – Sagarmala – to build ports and facilitate the use of both the coast and its major “waterways” (rivers) to transport people, cars and cargo. In addition to diverting traffic away from congested roads, ferry crossings of “fjords” and boat shuttle services around coastal cities can significantly shorten travel times.
- Norled wants to be a driving force for Norway to be a world leader as a maritime nation, especially within green technology at sea,” says Engelsen.
He explains that Norled is currently in the process of starting a development project involving the development and construction of the world’s first hydrogen-electric ferry. For the Hjelmeland-Nesvik-Skipavik route in Rogaland.
- Hydrogen ferries will open up for travel over longer distances than we can now with battery technology, and could be a new success formula from the Norwegian maritime sector.
Short-distance express boats can already be made completely green based on existing battery technology. For express boats for longer distances, Norled is participating in a consortium that is exploring whether hydrogen can also contribute to more environmentally friendly express boats. Here, Norled is collaborating with four technology partners and the authorities in the Zero Emission express boat ship concept (ZeFF),” says Engelsen.
Along with a few other selected companies, Norled has also been invited to participate in the Norwegian and Indian government’s “Indo-Norwegian task-force on Blue economy” in Delhi. Among other things, Norled will talk about how the Norwegian tender model for ferries and the form of cooperation between public and private actors has been very successful both in improving customer service and in developing environmentally friendly solutions.
- It is thus a model that can safely be used as a starting point for greener and more sustainable shipping internationally,” says Engelsen.
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For more information contact:
Lars Jacob Engelsen, Deputy CEO of Norled, by email: lars.jacob.engelsen@norled.no, or phone: + 47 957 96 917
Kjell Ove Hatlem, Project Manager International Transportation at Norled by email: kjell.ove.hatlem@norled.no or phone: + 47 481 31 065
