KARLSØYFJORD is scheduled to arrive at the yard at the turn of the year. The ferry will be upgraded in accordance with DNV’s "battery power" notation, where the batteries are defined as the vessel's primary energy source in a new and modern battery electric propulsion system.

- Our goal is to be a leader in environmentally friendly ferry operations. We have had a long and good collaboration with Fiskerstrand, and we now look forward to working together on this assignment which will both provide significant savings for the environment and increased quality for our travelers, says group manager Kjetil Førsvoll in Boreal.

As part of the conversion, cooling systems, ventilation systems and fire / safety systems will also be upgraded. Existing LNG engines will be removed and new modern generators, including purification systems, will be installed to safeguard the redundancy of the systems as a secondary energy source.

KARLSØYFJORD was also at the yard in the autumn of 2020 to further adapt the universal design.

Siemens has been chosen as the system supplier and will supply BlueDrive PlusC boards, Energy Management System (EMS), charging systems and batteries in connection with the upgrade. Acel will be responsible for all electrical installation on board.

Fiskerstrand is very pleased with the trust Boreal shows when they choose to place the contract at Fiskerstrand Verft. This is historically one of the largest contracts the yard has signed in rebuilding sailing vessels and shows that the expertise and experience the yard has built up in recent years in environment and zero-emission technology, through several similar rebuilds, gives shipping companies security when choosing Fiskerstrand Shipyard .

The contract is worth just over NOK 140 million.