Norway's Lysefjord now has a charging hub built to a new standard. Plug, the Norwegian onshore power supply company, has officially opened a charging facility for electric passenger vessels at Forsand, in the middle of the fjord, to serve Rødne's new fully electric ferry Rygerlys.
The facility delivers 2 MW of charging and combines battery storage, intelligent energy management and high power charging. According to Plug, it is the first installation to use the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) standard for high power maritime charging, alongside the established CCS connector.
The charger
PSW Power & Automation built the station. In May 2026 it completed factory acceptance testing of what it described as the world's first marine fast charging station based on MCS, covering technical specifications, safety functions, full speed operation and interaction between the system's components. The next stage was installation and commissioning in the field, with grid support as part of the solution.
The battery storage matters as much as the charger. A shore battery fills up from the local grid between calls and releases power quickly when the ferry is alongside, so the grid connection can be smaller than the charging peak. The local grid operator, L-nett, is one of the project partners.
⛴️ The ferry: Rygerlys
🏢 Operator: Rødne, under a 10 year contract for Kolumbus, Rogaland’s public transport authority
🗺️ Route: Lauvvik to Lysebotn, Lysefjord
🛠️ Builder: Oma Baatbyggeri, Stord
🚢 Type: Combi catamaran for passengers, cars and cargo
📏 Size: 46 metres by 11 metres
👥 Capacity: 97 passengers and 12 cars, or a mix of cars and trucks
🔋 Electric system: Brunvoll Mar El Triton: battery, propulsion motors, energy management and DC shore connection
💰 Investment: NOK 150 million
📅 Delivered: 4 September 2026
🌱 Rygerlys is built for emission free operation on the whole route.
🔌 After delivery the ferry went to Forsand for running in and for testing of the charging infrastructure and quays in the fjord.
RygerlysOperatorRødne, under a 10 year contract for Kolumbus, Rogaland's public transport authorityRouteLauvvik to Lysebotn, LysefjordBuilderOma Baatbyggeri, StordTypeCombi catamaran for passengers, cars and cargoSize46 metres by 11 metresCapacity97 passengers and 12 cars, or a mix of cars and trucksElectric systemBrunvoll Mar El Triton system: battery, propulsion motors, energy management and DC shore connectionInvestmentNOK 150 millionDelivered4 September 2026 Rygerlys is built for emission free operation on the whole route.
After delivery the ferry went to Forsand for running in and for testing of the charging infrastructure and quays in the fjord.
Why MCS matters
MCS was developed for heavy trucks and is now moving onto the water as the common plug for high power charging of smaller ferries and passenger vessels.
A shared standard means operators are not locked into one charger maker, and ports can install equipment that will serve more than one vessel type. More MCS projects are lined up in northern Europe: Norwegian Electric Systems is supplying 4 MW MCS stations for three Norled routes from 2027, and Estonia plans 5 MW per charging point for a new ferry between Virtsu and Kuivastu by the end of 2028.
The project partners are Plug, Rødne Fjord Cruise, Kolumbus, PSW Power & Automation, Brunvoll and L-nett. DTF lists the charging systems already in daily ferry service in Europe in Electric ferries and vessel charging; more on shore side projects is in Shore power and OPS.
For small ferries, the plug question now has a standard answer. The Lysefjord is where it went into service first.
