EARLY-STAGE ELECTRIFICATION CONCEPT OF A FERRY FOR THE BAY OF KOTOR

Abstract

In order to address the environmental concerns and reduce the air pollution from traditional diesel engines, maritime authorities have been gradually introducing the energy efficiency requirements for ships. Mostly, the shipping sector response consists of measures such as power reduction, application of various energy saving devices and alternative fuels. The latter presents the radical and an efficient way to almost completely reduce onboard emissions, by installing the propulsion systems powered by batteries (electric drive), hydrogen, ammonia, or other “carbon-free” sources of energy. Therefore, this paper presents an early-stage design of the electrification concept of the ferry regularly navigating in the Bay of Kotor between the ports of Kamenari and Lepetani. Such short-routed operation can be practical for the application of electric drive with batteries, as a sole source of power. Preliminary design methodology for the calculation of the ship’s operational profile is presented, along with the electrification concept for the ferry on the specific route. Findings showed that the proposed design can be viable for the small-scale Ro-Ro navigation in the Bay of Kotor aquatorium, especially given the UNESCO World Heritage site status of the area.