Norwegian ferry owner and operator Fjord1 has inked a newbuilding contract with Turkey-based Tersan Shipyard for two battery-powered ferries that will be fully electrically operational.

The two ferries are expected to start operating from Jan. 1, 2018, until 2027 on E39 Anda-Lote on the west coast of Norway.

"This will be the first ferry connection in Norway where the Road Administration requires use of zero-emission technology. The new ferries are an important step towards more environmental friendly public transportation," said the company.

Charging of batteries is made through fully automatic charging stations at the quayside. Battery capacity shall be sufficient to continue operations for several hours without charging, e.g. during maintenance on grid or charging stations, Fjord1 said.

Additionally, the ferries will also be equipped with biodiesel generators, which enable potential operation as plug-in hybrids on other fjord crossings in the future.

The ferries' cargo capacity is 120 cars, 12 trailers and 349 passengers.

The construction of the two ships is scheduled to begin this October.

"These battery-powered ferry projects will be pioneering the Norwegian environmental friendly public transportation policy and Tersan Shipyard is very proud to be involved in these future ferries," said Nurettin Paksu, Chairman of the Board at Tersan Shipyard.

The design has been developed by the Norwegian ship design company Multi Maritime, in cooperation with Fjord1.