By
Alex Smith |
The first of three new type 2030 ferries has been commissioned by Hamburg ferry operator HADAG Seetouristik und Fährdienst AG.
The type 2030 hybrid ferry was developed by Voith alongside SET Schiffbau- u. Entwicklungsgesellschaft Tangermünde – a member company of the Heinrich Rönner Group – and Flensburg ship designers at naValue GmbH.
The new ferry is larger than all of HADAG’s previous ferries, measuring 33 metres in length and eight meters in width. It has additional space for multi-functional areas and up to 250 passengers while requiring less energy to operate. The increased size of the vessel has been enabled by the optimisation of the ship’s hull, which was carried out by Voith.
“Aided by computational fluid dynamics simulations and automated optimization methods, our research and development experts created over several hundreds individual hull design variants and calculated their respective energy efficiency levels, while strictly observing the customer’s exacting performance and consumption requirements,” said Oliver Lenz, sales application manager marine at Voith. “Numerous model tests were also carried out, which confirmed the result of our calculations.”
The ferry will have a maximum speed of up to 13 knots, with propulsion provided by two newly developed, five-blade 9X5/100 electric Voith Schneider Propellers (eVSPs), which are fitted with integrated permanent magnet electric motors from ELIN Motoren, a subsidiary of Voith Turbo. Experts from Voith also held several advance training sessions with HADAG captains, enabling them to familiarise themselves with the eVSP.
“Our smallest version to date of the gearless propulsion system expressly requested by the customer ensures the highest level of comfort on board at all times while significantly reducing energy requirements,” said Lenz. “Characterised by optimal manoeuvrability, the propulsion system has the distinction of providing a high level of safety, even in the often hectic and sometimes adverse conditions encountered in the Port of Hamburg.”