Cavotec signs breakthrough EUR 9m orders for unmanned mooring of electric ferries

Cavotec is set to revolutionise the operation of e-vessels by delivering and maintaining its automated, unmanned, mooring system MoorMaster™ for e-ferry ports across Norway. With these orders, MoorMaster™ is now the leading technology to safely and efficiently moor e-vessels, a segment set for rapid growth.

The orders are worth approximately EUR 9m, of which EUR 4m was booked in the fourth quarter of 2017.

On completion of these projects, Cavotec will have equipped more than 40 e-ferry ports in Scandinavia with MoorMaster™, thereby delivering substantial operational and safety benefits for ferry operators.

"These projects demonstrate the unrivalled suitability of MoorMaster™ for e-ferry applications, and the importance of the technology for this rapidly growing segment in Norway and beyond," says Gustavo Miller, President Ports and Maritime Division at Cavotec.

MoorMaster™ is ideal for e-ferry applications because the units keep vessels in pre-programmed positions to maximise the amount of time available to charge ship battery units. The technology also reduces overall CAPEX for operators, and delivers substantial operational and safety benefits," says Sofus Gedde-Dahl, Sales Director E-Ferries at Cavotec.

Following its stated aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40 per cent, Norway has led the introduction of electrically powered and hybrid vessels. Cavotec has become a crucial partner in this effort through its development of innovative automated charging interface and mooring technologies.

Cavotec systems have moored and charged the world's first fully electric car ferry, the MF Ampere, since it entered service in 2015. Following the success of the MF Ampere application, Cavotec mooring and charging technologies have been introduced at a growing number of e-ferry berths in Norway, Finland, and Sweden.

To date, more than 260 MoorMaster™ units worldwide have performed some 330,000 moorings at ferry, bulk and container handling, as well as lock and ship-to-ship applications worldwide.

"The rapid introduction of e-ferries in Norway has been the dominant driver for the wider adoption of MoorMaster™ in recent years, a development that we see being replicated in neighbouring markets such as Finland and Denmark," says Gedde-Dahl.