ABB helps iconic Maid of the Mist boats go green

Paul J.Heney • VP, Editorial Director

Anyone who’s visited Niagara Falls in the summer has surely watched the famed Maid of the Mist boats ply the waters of the Niagara Gorge. These sightseeing tour vessels, which appear tiny from above, seem to get perilously close to the thundering water from both the American and Canadian falls, crashing down roughly 180 feet. Now, the American operator of the two ships has decided to move into 21st Century technology with all-new craft that use ABB zero-emission technology to power the fully electric ferries. These new ferries can hold 600 passengers each and replace the former diesel vessels.

Design World recently received an exclusive invite to tour the new boats, including getting down below the hatches and taking a ride into the mist.

The Maid of the Mist Corp., founded in 1846, is family owned and operated. This step forward to demonstrate the commercial viability of all-electric boat technology has attracted global attention to the company. The Niagara boats are believed to be among the first all-electric vessels — but won’t be the last. Industry experts say that passenger ferries, river barges, harbor tugs, and dredgers are well-suited to all-electric operation.

ABB noted that marine vessels are one of the largest contributors to transportation emissions (3-5% of global CO₂ and more than 5% of global SOx), so electrification of shipping cannot come soon enough. Today, it would be di cult to build 100% electric ocean-going vessels. However, as equipment becomes smaller and more cost-e ective, new opportunities keep opening. Autonomous, all-electric seagoing vessels may be possible and practical in years to come.

Passengers experience the thrill of an up-close ride to Niagara Falls on the new vessel

New horizons in marine battery technology

Global interest in marine electrification is being spurred on by, for instance, new International Maritime Organization rules, such as the 2020 IMO fuel sulfur regulation, which will reduce the limit on the sulfur content of bunker fuel. Maritime operators are, therefore, keen to explore fuel cell technology.

Jon Diller, the commercial director for Kansas City-based Spear Power Systems, explained that the batteries used on the ferries are split between left and right sides; each side has 168 kWh of embedded energy, so it is a 316- kWh vessel. The batteries are