Reederei Norden-Frisia has received its first all-electric catamaran (E-Kat).
The E-Kat will travel CO2-free to the North Sea Island of Norderney and back about eight times a day with up to 150 passengers during 2025’s high season. The journey time will be approximately 30 minutes. Once back in Norddeich, the battery will be recharged in about 28 minutes before the E-Kat can then start its next trip to the island. This technology has enabled the crossings to be CO2 -neutral for the first time.
Enabling the electricity
Several projects for regenerative energy generation and storage were combined to cover the E-Kat’s calculated electricity consumption. Reederei Norden-Frisia equipped 600 car parking spaces with photovoltaic roofs on its parking areas in Norddeich. In addition, solar systems have been installed on roofs and carports in Norddeich, Harlesiel, Norderney and Juist. In the future, battery storage will buffer surpluses from solar power generation during the day for night needs.
“We have already been able to test the area of operation of the E-Kat on the route between the island and the mainland under real conditions,” stated Michael Garrelts, technical inspector at Reederei Norden-Frisia. The charging infrastructure has already been installed on-site in Norddeich.
E-Kat’s lifespan
The vessel, built by Damen Shipyards, was towed from Rotterdam to the offshore island of Borkum due to the weather conditions. From there, the E-Kat reached the island of Norderney and finally Norddeich on its own, driven entirely on its own electrical power.
The E-Kat is part of Reederei Norden-Frisia’s comprehensive sustainability strategy. “In the long term, we are aiming for a closed cycle of electricity production and electricity consumption,” said board member Carl-Ulfert Stegmann.
In related news, FPT Industrial was recently selected as the preferred powertrain supplier for the new WiderCat 92 hybrid catamaran. Click here to read the full story.