Wasaline has completed sea trials on the Aurora Botnia ro-pax vessel following a battery upgrade that increased onboard energy storage from 2.2 MWh to 12.6MWh – the largest battery capacity installed on a ro-pax vessel to date.
The batteries were supplied by AYK Energy and can store nearly five times more energy than the previous installation. According to the companies involved, the upgrade is intended to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions during operations. The system has been approved for operation by classification society DNV after testing.
Work began while the vessel remained in service and was completed during a docking period at BLRT Repair Yards in Finland. Wärtsilä handled system integration, while Danfoss updated and configured the vessel’s drives to support the additional battery capacity. Foreship carried out evaluation and basic design work.
Jonas Teir, technical director at Wasaline, said, “This has been an interesting but also highly demanding project, particularly given the limited timeframe. The entire propulsion system was upgraded during docking, and battery optimization continued while the vessel was back in operation. Our partners did a tremendous job.”
Teir added that the company also worked with Rescue Team Finland and Tallinn Shipyard during the installation and thanked the vessel’s crew for supporting the project during normal operations.
The upgraded energy storage system is intended to support more efficient propulsion and reduce fuel use on the ferry’s route. Wasaline said the project forms part of its broader efforts to improve environmental performance and adopt new maritime technologies.
Related news, Petredec and Carnot Engines partner on multi-fuel engine development