NZK Pont 101 and the Hempont charging system

What this investigation is

NZK Pont 101 is one of GVB’s electric North Sea Canal ferries. The wider system includes the vessel, batteries, rectification equipment, shore charger, movable bridge and safety controls. The Hempont infrastructure shows why electrifying a ferry is not only a shipbuilding problem: charging must fit docking, boarding and departure.

Verified so far

• GVB reported that NZK Pont 101 was launched on 27 July 2021 as the second vessel in its new electric North Sea Canal ferry programme.
• Holland Shipyards describes five electric NZK-series ferries built for GVB between 2020 and 2023.
• The builder specifies two 340 kWh battery banks and two 300 kW propulsion units for the series.
• The builder describes a 1,600 kW shore-charging facility and an approximately three-minute automatic charge during boarding and unloading.
• ABB describes the charging design as a 750 V DC supply rated at 2 MW for 145 seconds after a 20-minute round trip.
• The 1.6 MW and 2 MW figures describe different published parts or ratings and should not be collapsed into one live measurement.
• The Hempont landing project added power cabling for two charging points while upgrading bridge, barrier, lighting and control equipment.
• Landing controls include interlocks intended to prevent the bridge deck moving while the battery pack is charging.

What to notice

• Charging time is fitted into passenger-and-vehicle exchange rather than treated as a separate long stop.
• The shore system converts and stabilises grid electricity before it reaches the vessel.
• The charger and movable bridge share a safety sequence; electrical charging and traffic movement are interdependent.

Limits and media status

Published power, voltage, battery and timing values are design specifications—not live telemetry or proof of a full refill at each landing. ABB’s statement that the ferries would run fully electric in most weather conditions is qualified. Primary evidence does not conclusively prove NZK Pont 101’s permanent present-day assignment to Hempont, so the page treats vessel and landing as connected evidence layers rather than an exclusive route assignment.

Sources

1. 1
   GVBTweede elektrische pont te water gelaten ↗ (opens externally)
2. 2
   Holland Shipyards GroupNZK series ↗ (opens externally)
3. 3
   ABBRectifiers power Amsterdam’s new emission-free electric ferries ↗ (opens externally)
4. 4
   GWW-Bouw / Pilz NetherlandsRenovation infrastructure for electric ferry GVB ↗ (opens externally)
5. 5
   Wikimedia CommonsNZK 101 at Hempont — D.wools, CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ (opens externally)