ABB

ABB is a technology leader that is driving the digital transformation of industries, operating in more than 100 countries with about 144,000 employees. The company has provided electric and hybrid systems on board vessels for more than 110 years. In fact, today, well over 1,300 ships employ ABB’s electric system. In the shallow draft segment, ABB offers electrical, hybrid, propulsion and automation solutions for vessels such as towboats, dredges, tugs, marine construction and ferries.

In 2019, Niagara Falls tour operator Maid of the Mist decided to replace its fl eet with two new ferries. It selected ABB Marine & Ports to provide zero-emission technology, making Maid of the Mist the very fi rst fully electric newbuild ferry ever constructed in the U.S. Each of the vessels is powered by a pair of battery packs with a total capacity of 316kWh, split evenly between two catamaran hulls.

The ferries will charge between every trip while passengers disembark and board the vessels. Shoreside charging will only take seven minutes, allowing the batteries to power the electric propulsion motors capable of a total 400kW (563 HP) output.

Following the Maid of the Mist project, ABB was selected by American shipbuilding company Vigor Fab LLC as the hybrid-electric propulsion and energy storage system provider for the newest additions to the Washington State Ferry fl eet, setting the largest U.S. ferry system on course for zero-emission operations. ABB is driving toward the next generation of ships, which it believes will be electric, digital and connected, as the industry moves toward new energy sources and autonomous ship operations. And this future is slowly becoming a reality in the United States.