Ampereship Converts Passenger Ship to Fully Electric Propulsion

[By: Ampereship]

Ampereship, a shipbuilding company based in Stralsund that specializes in the construction of new electric solar-powered ships and ferries for inland waters, has completed its first conversion of a diesel-powered passenger ship to fully electric propulsion. The converted passenger ship “Uetliberg” recently completed its first emission-free voyage on Lake Zurich in Switzerland. Built in 1999 and now classified as an electric ship, the 42.4-meter-long vessel is currently the largest battery-powered passenger ship in Switzerland. It belongs to the fleet of the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG). The shipping company commissioned Ampereship to plan and design the conversion to electric propulsion.

“With the ZSG contract, we are expanding our maritime e-mobility business to existing ships,” emphasizes Ingo Schillinger, Business Unit Manager at Ampereship. “The maiden voyage of the fully electric passenger ship ‘Uetliberg’ shows that it is now possible to retrofit a passenger ship that has been in service for years with a transport capacity of up to 300 people with a promising alternative electric drive system.” A decisive key to this is the rapid advancement in battery technology. Just a few years ago, installing the 3.6 MWh battery pack on the “Uetliberg” would have meant a weight of 40 tons instead of the current 22 tons.

The project was carried out in close cooperation with ZSG. The shipbuilders in Stralsund manufactured several steel sections for the passenger ship, which was given a newly shaped bulbous bow, an extended stern, and additional bulkheads. The steel sections were delivered to ZSG's own shipyard on Lake Zurich, where the ship conversion was carried out under the construction management of Ampereship. The electrical engineering equipment was completely planned and designed by the Stralsund engineers. From automation and control technology to electric motors and battery packs. A total of 7,200 battery cells were installed. With an energy output of 3.6 MWh, 113,000 liters of diesel fuel can be saved annually, avoiding the emission
of 300 tons of CO2 per year. There are also plans to convert the identical ZSG passenger ships “Albis” and “Pfannenstiel” to fully electric propulsion by 2027. The shipping company has also commissioned Ampereship for this project.

Back in 2021, the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft had already relied on Ampereship's expertise in electric shipbuilding. At that time, the shipping company ordered three identical 22.5-meter-long electric solar passenger ships. The new vessels were specially designed for use on the Limmat River, which flows out of Lake Zurich and crosses Switzerland's largest city, Zurich.

Ampereship has also completed its first projects in the regional market for converting inland waterway vessels to alternative propulsion systems. For example, in 2024, the two Warnow ferries in Warnemünde were equipped with hybrid propulsion systems on behalf of the Weiße Flotte shipping company. Ampereship has also been commissioned by Weiße Flotte to retrofit the Wittower ferry on the island of Rügen with a similar system. “The fleet of inland passenger ships and ferries offers considerable potential for effectively reducing pollutant emissions on lakes and rivers by converting conventional propulsion systems to alternative technologies,” summarizes Ampereship manager Ingo Schillinger.