By
David Mott |
In the increasingly fraught race to prepare ferries in Northern Europe for next year’s tighter emissions limits, nobody could accuse Norled, one of Norway’s leading shipowners, of sitting on its hands. Last year the company ordered the world’s first all-electric ferry. Now it has just taken delivery of two all-gas vessels, Ryfylke and Hardanger, which use LNG for main propulsion and compressed natural gas (CNG) as a back-up, thereby eschewing the use of conventional fuel which nearly all gas ships have as a reserve.
The two double-ended ships, delivered by Remontowa Shipbuilding in Poland, have a capacity of 550 passengers and 165 cars and are replacing three vessels on the 10-mile route between Stavanger city centre and Tau at the southern end of Norway’s long west coast. They attract a government subsidy.
“The operation of these ships is looking very good and we are very happy with them,” says Norled’s managing director, Ivan Fossan. “This (the all-gas concept) is something we believe in as an investment for the future for the owner and also the passengers.” But does he expect Norled to build more ships with this all-gas combination? “Yes I do, but it could even be that we devise some other form of back-up,” is his reply. The line carries 18 million passengers a year for both transport and holiday purposes.
From across the Atlantic comes news that BC Ferries, the largest ferry operator in North America, has chosen the same Remontowa shipyard to build three new LNG ships worth a total of CAD$165 million. Now free of ordering restrictions, the Canadian line sought tenders from four European yards and just one in Canada. A total project budget of CAD$252 million has been approved by the board – this includes CAD$51 million for Canadian taxes and import duties.
Mark Wilson, vice president in charge of shipbuilding for BC Ferries, says: “A key objective in our newbuilding programme is to save money by a process of standardisation. This is a major step forward as we move from 17 classes of ship to just five.” Standardisation, he explains, will lower crew training and maintenance costs and also enhance safety. The ships will have diesel back-up and accommodate 600 passengers and 145 vehicles.
Also in North America, Washington State Ferries has taken delivery of the first of its 1,500-passenger Olympia-class vessels, Tokitae, and at the same time gained funding approval for a third vessel in the series from the state legislature. But there are no current plans for a fourth ship in the series. The combined value of the three ships, all being built by Vigor Industrial, the old Todd Shipyards, is put at US$360 million.
Captain George Capacci, interim state ferries director for the operator, says: “We have a longstanding partnership with Vigor in new vessel construction. The yard has delivered a good product which will serve our customers for decades to come.” Introduction of the Tokitae was delayed by the need for more crew training and better fitting ramps which Capacci has ordered for all three ships. All three new vessels are diesel powered, but the director says that, subject to US Coast Guard approval and funding from the state, the first conversion of an Issaquah-class vessel to LNG could start as early as 2016.
Financing for Brittany Ferries’ €270 million LNG ship ordered at the start of the year is taking longer than expected and, at the time of writing, was not yet completed. Until it is, the French owner will say nothing more about the vessel. Extra time has been granted by the STX shipyard. Gas for the ship will be loaded in the UK and talks are currently going on with officials in the port of Portsmouth. Meanwhile, the prospect of Corsica ferry line, SNCM, ordering up to four large new ships at STX France has receded now the very future of the strike-hit company is in doubt.
German/Danish operator Scandlines has just signed a contract with the Danish Fayard facility to fit out and complete its two hulls, Copenhagen and Berlin. The work will include fitting a new, lighter superstructure. The hulls were first towed to Blohm + Voss yard in Hamburg where pre-engineering work took place. They were bought for a reported €31 million from the receiver of the original builder, P+S Werften. The original contract was for a reported €230 million in total. While declining to confirm these figures, Scandlines chief executive, Søren Poulsgaard Jensen, says: "We will not lose money on the ships. We have worked with Fayard for 35 years and know they are reliable in meeting delivery times. That was crucial in this process.” The two vessels are wanted for next year.
John Bonafoux, managing director of BMT Nigel Gee Ltd, confirms that the remaining six of eight catamarans being built to his company’s design by the Ares Shipyard in Turkey will be delivered to their Qatari owner in batches of two over the rest of this year. The luxuriously fitted out vessels will take 51 passengers and have a crew of just two or three. Service speed is 22 knots.
Incat Crowther in Sydney is designing a fourth catamaran for Ultramar in Mexico. It will be built in the US and carry 800 passengers and cargo between Playa de Carmen and Cozumel.
Damen Shipyard has recruited MacGregor, part of the Cargotec Group, to design bow doors, bow and stern ramps, shell (outer) doors and a hoistable vehicle deck for two 80m icebreaking ferries for Canada. The ferries are part of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Government’s fleet renewal programme and the equipment design contract was awarded after extensive research of alternatives. Lars Oberg, MacGregor’s sales manager, says: “We have extensive experience in ferry equipment support and also of vessels working in Canadian ferry services.”
This article appeared in the Autumn/Winter 2014 edition of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read other articles, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.