ABB Takes the Power and Propulsion Package for New Zealand's Cook Strait Ferries
Kupe and Cook will carry 8.2 MWh of batteries and two Azipod units on the Wellington to Picton run
ABB has been selected as the power, propulsion and automation technology partner for the two Ro-Pax ferries being built under the Cook Strait Ferry Replacement Programme in New Zealand.
The ships, to be named Kupe and Cook, will be built by Guangzhou Shipyard International and delivered to the New Zealand government entity Ferry Holdings Limited in 2029. Each measures 200 metres in length and 28 metres in beam, and will work the 92-kilometre Wellington to Picton crossing between the North and South Islands.
Capacity rises sharply against the existing tonnage. The new vessels will carry 63% more passengers, at 1,530 persons, and 44% more freight, at 2,400 lane metres. They are rail-enabled, which allows rail freight to be loaded directly onto the ships and removes several cargo handling steps from inter-island transfers.
"These ferries represent a key investment in New Zealand's transport infrastructure," said Massimo Soprano, ship programme director at Ferry Holdings Limited. "Selecting ABB gives us confidence that we will deliver vessels with world-class power, propulsion and automation technology."
The power plant is fuel agnostic and hybrid-electric. An 8.2 MWh battery energy storage system will support near-zero-emission harbour operations or provide a spinning reserve for 10 minutes, and the architecture allows the battery system to scale up to 12.3 MWh with further capacity available as shore charging technology arrives. ABB's scope covers four main alternators along with motors and drives for the three bow thrusters.
Two Azipod units replace the traditional propeller shafts, rudders and stern thrusters used on the predecessor ro-ro ferries. The gearless steerable units are intended to give the ships manoeuvring margin in a crossing known for strong tides and rough seas: the vessels will be able to crab at one knot in 40 knots of wind from any direction, which the programme describes as well beyond what the current fleet manages entering and leaving Wellington and Picton.
Underwater radiated noise has been treated as a design requirement rather than a by-product, with reductions prioritised to help protect marine life in the Marlborough Sounds and recognised in the DNV SILENT-E class notation.
At the centre of the electrical architecture sits ABB's PEMS power and energy management system, which balances energy across generators, the battery system, propulsion and auxiliary loads as a single whole rather than as separate systems. It will be complemented by the ABB Ability remote diagnostic system for continuous monitoring, predictive maintenance and remote troubleshooting.
"Growing 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," said Palemia Field, global segment manager for ferries in ABB's Marine and Ports division. "That personal connection makes it even more meaningful to now be part of delivering vessels that will transform that crossing."
