Towards Electrification of Ro-Ro Passenger Fleet in the Adriatic Sea

With the recent introduction of new requirements for ships energy efficiency, as well as continuous rise of fuel price, there is a growing interest by many shipyards and shipowners to reduce fuel oil consumption. This is particularly important for ro-ro passenger ships in the Adriatic Sea. Various innovative energy efficient technologies could be implemented for these ships in order to reduce their environmental footprint. In this paper the viability to electrify these ships is analysed. This was done by analysing the energy efficiency of the current fleet, including the estimation of the fuel oil consumption and the analysis of ferry routes in the Adriatic Sea, as well as the number of passengers and vehicles transported. Based on this analysis, it is concluded that the electrification of the ro-ro passenger fleet in the Adriatic Sea could be considered as a viable option in the future.