Vripack has shared the unique onboard features that it has designed for Texelstroom, the 1,750-passenger, 350-vehicle, double ended ferry that will operate between the Dutch islands of Texel and Den Helder. Ordered by Royal N.V. Texels Eigen Stoomboot Onderneming (TESO), the ship boasts a number of unique design features which Vripack has created in order to bring the island experience on board.
Vripack says that, by speaking with several islanders and visitors, it has arrived at three building blocks that are essential to the design. These are: transparency - clear spaces, symmetry and unity; freedom - the option to choose between different areas, each with their own atmosphere and experience; and purity – the use of fair trade products, natural materials and colours.
“These building blocks have been the guideline for the choice in furniture and materials. But also the natural colours, such as the colour of the sand dunes and the green of the beach grass, are present in the overall design,” said a Vripack press release. “The interior of the salon has been decorated with a pine tree native to Texel and serves as a meeting point for travelers. Vripack created an atmosphere which embraces the area as well as the island. The salon deck has been equipped with various island-inspired seating areas, high tables with charging facilities for mobile hardware, an attractive restaurant, an interactive play area for kids and numerous screens which inform the passengers about the island and the surrounding area. The ingenious routing aboard the ship allows the passengers to find their way easily and fast, which also contributes to a positive experience on board.”
Vripack has also implemented characteristic elements into the exterior design of the Texelstroom. The sheer of the ship is based on the wing shape of the little tern, i.e. a bird native to the area. The large windows in the heart of the salon provide plenty of daylight and strengthen the ‘Wadden feeling’. The glass panels are supported by a grid of arches, for which the pine cone scales were a source of inspiration. The exterior was given the original colours ‘yellow and white’ which represent the identity of the ferry service.
But these aren’t the only unique features of the Texelstroom. C-Job Naval Architects, in cooperation with TESO, has installed a fual-fuel hybrid propulsion system to maximise sustainability. Two of the four generators run on compressed natural gas (CNG) which minimize the emission of NOx, SOx and fine particles (soot). Further to that, the emission of the green-house gas CO2 is reduced significantly. The generated electricity, which is required for the propulsion by the azimuth thrusters, will be buffered in two large battery banks. This enables the Texelstroom to run in normal conditions on just one generator, while the batteries provide additional power during acceleration from the harbour. The generator provides a constant power at optimal load which makes the engine very efficient.
Meanwhile, to comply with the request to increase the car capacity, the Texelstroom is increased in beam on the upper car deck level. This enables the ship to carry 14% more cars on 2 additional lanes on the upper car deck. At the lower car deck, the ship has its original beam to fit in the existing berths. As a result of the increase beam, also the saloon situated above the upper car deck, has additional space for the passengers.
It also features a thermal water buffer tank. This buffer tank, of about 80 cubic meters, is filled with fresh water, which is heated by a heat exchanger from the engines. During the night, when this Texelstroom is off duty, the ships saloon and public spaces are heated by the hot water from the buffer tank. This solution saves fuel on a boiler which would normally heat the ship during the night.
Wind drag reduction is another featyre. C-Job executed Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) calculations on the Texelstroom to lower the drag on the vessel. For this purpose, the outer corners at the ships ends, in way of the car and bicycle decks are chamfered. Also the wheelhouse is lowered compared to the Dokter Wagemaker. By streamlining the vessel above the waterline, fuel consumption is lowered.
The upper deck is also equipped with solar panels to generate as much as possible renewable energy.