ELECTRIFICATION and automation specialist ABB has won a key contract to provide power, propulsion and automation technology for Ferry Holdings’ two new rail/po-pax ferries due to serve Cook Strait from 2029.
ABB will supply the integrated systems required to ensure the reliability, efficiency and environmental performance of Kupe and Cook, to be built by Guangzhou Shipyard International and operated by KiwiRail.
Critical for the national economy, these vessels will also deliver high fuel efficiency, lower emissions and reduced underwater radiated noise (URN) that aligns with the most forward-looking ferry projects in the world, ABB says. Reducing URN has been prioritized to help protect marine life in the Marlborough Sounds, acknowledged in the DNV SILENT-E class notation.
“These ferries represent a key investment in New Zealand’s transport infrastructure,” Massimo Soprano, ship program director, Ferry Holdings Limited, said. “Selecting ABB gives us confidence that we will deliver vessels with world-class power, propulsion and automation technology. These systems are designed for the demanding conditions of Cook Strait and built to minimize environmental impact over their entire lifecycle.”
Palemia Field, global segment manager for ferries, ABB’s Marine & Ports division, grew up on the shores of Lyall Bay in Wellington. “I watched the ferries push out into Cook Strait in all conditions, wind, swell and everything in between. That image has stayed with me,” he said.
“That personal connection makes it even more meaningful to now be part of delivering vessels that will transform that crossing. They are quieter, cleaner, more reliable, and built for the next 30 years of New Zealand’s growth.”
Combining efficiency and environmental responsibility, ship specifications include a fuel agnostic hybrid-electric power and propulsion plant. The 8.2 MWh battery energy storage system installed will support near-zero-emission harbour operations or a spinning reserve for 10 minutes. The power architecture also allows for the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to scale up to 12.3 MWh with further potential capacity to align with shore charging technologies when available.
Close up of the state-of-the-art Azipod® azimuthing propulsion pods. Image: Ferry Holdings via ABB
ABB’s scope of supply includes four main alternators, as well as motors and drives for the three bow thrusters. Two Azipod® propulsion units replace the predecessor ferries’ traditional propeller shafts, rudders and stern thrusters, delivering superior efficiency and a quieter, smoother ride.
ABB says this is a meaningful improvement for passengers crossing the Cook Strait known for challenging and unpredictable conditions, strong tides and rough seas. The gearless, 360°-steerable Azipod® units also give the ships outstanding manoeuvrability. The ships will be able to crab at 1 knot of speed in 40 knots of wind from any direction, far exceeding what the current fleet can achieve during port entry and departures in Wellington and Picton.
At the heart of the ships’ power architecture sits ABB’s PEMS™ Power & Energy Management System, the intelligent ‘brain’ that continuously balances energy across the vessels’ generators, battery energy storage system, propulsion and auxiliary loads.
Rather than managing these as separate systems, PEMS™ treats them as one integrated whole: automatically optimizing fuel consumption, enabling harbor operations on battery power alone, and maintaining power continuity in the event of a fault.
This level of integration and built-in resilience ensures unmatched operational reliability. PEMS™ has proven this capability across multiple ABB ferry projects worldwide, the manufacturer claims.
The system will be complemented with the ABB Ability™ Remote Diagnostic System (RDS) for continuous 24/7 monitoring and access to ABB’s global network of experts. The digital solution enables predictive maintenance, faster troubleshooting, and real-time operational insights, helping operators enhance vessel availability, reduce lifecycle costs, and ensure safe and efficient operations.
For ferries at the heart of New Zealand’s freight and passenger network, where an unplanned outage would have direct consequences for schedules, impacting rail connections and thousands of travellers, the ability to detect and resolve issues remotely before they lead to failures is a genuine operational differentiator, ABB says.
Meanwhile, KiwiRail claims the existing Interislander vessels have attained 99.07% reliability over the last financial year. The figure excludes cancellations caused by weather, which usually reach about 40 each year.