Blue Star Ferries on Thursday announced the pilot installation and operation of a photovoltaic unit on its ship “Blue Star Delos”.

The installation would be for a trial period in order to test its performance.

According to the company’s technicians, the unit does not cover the ship’s electrical systems but is eventually expected to generate up to 100 kilowatts, covering a large part of the power needed for the electric lighting systems.

The specific unit has already been tested for 12 months in tough weather conditions at sea, with promising results with respect to its durability, while it has won a Dutch award for its performance.

Attica Group, which owns Blue Star Ferries, has already decided to continue with a system upgrade that will maximise the unit’s output to 100 kilowatts and to extend installation to other ships, in order to benefit from the zero pollution, silent operation and small maintenance cost offered by this technology.