Kimmo Rauma: Danfoss Editron

He explained that the E-ferry’s performance figures will be publicly available, and admitted, “of course there’s some nervousness, a question mark over how much you want to show… if you don’t achieve the predicted results, that gets noticed”. But he added, “I believe it’s far better to be able to investigate how the technology can be improved; without sharing information, you can’t do that.”

While it “will need some time to prove how well it works”, both he and the company are used to taking the long view.

That’s been necessary. Back in 2013, electric power trains were on a roll: the offshore oil and gas boom supported a demand for fuel-bill cutting alternatives for a range of industries. But as the oil price plunged, so did the order book. Despite this, he said there were still a few customers who didn’t pull out: when he asked why, “they told me the new, electrical machines were far more productive … and that was more valuable than the fuel savings”.

But another, more personal driver for Rauma has been helping find an answer to those emission black spots that cluster around ports and harbours. It took commitment, as crossing the technology over to the maritime field required a lot of hard work. “Our first, the Estonian coastguard vessel, bore a large part of our learning curve,” he explained. But, he added that the shipyard has considerable influence over the success of any innovation: “You have to realise it’ll be new for a large proportion of the people working there: there’s no prior training, it all happens during that first project. So you need partners you can trust.” He added though this first build at the Baltic Workboats yard “meant hefty learning on both sides… we now have a really good basis for collaboration”.

Certainly, electric and hybrid ferries are gaining ground, even breaking into distant markets. Last year the port city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan launched a refitted ferry which exchanged part of its old power train with a Danfoss permanent magnet solution. It’s far more compact than a diesel – so much so that its arrival onto the quayside was accompanied by disbelief, promptly dissipated when it was seen to work more efficiently than the original engine.

Still, Rauma noted that Ellen goes one stage further as it’s fully-electric with no diesel backup, and this once again required breaking new ground. But, he added, despite everything he’s in favour of the tried and tested wherever it can be employed, “so, for example, we have used simple, low-cost fuses onboard Ellen, not complex electronic breakers… this is bullet-proof technology”.

By Stevie Knight