By
Alex Smith |
The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has announced the winning teams for the 8th Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe, Affordable Ferry on the Amazon River.
“This year, the students were tasked with designing a ro-pax ferry to carry around 300 passengers, many of whom prefer the use of outdoor hammocks, plus vehicles and cargo on the Amazon River between Manaus and Tefé on a trip that is to last 20 hours,” said Roberta Weisbrod, executive director of WFSA. “Because of the continuing spread of Covid-19 in Brazil and its transmission via river transport, student teams were asked to include features to prevent viral transmission.”
Twelve teams from academic institutions in South America, North America, Europe and Asia submitted their designs. The judges awarded the first-place prize of $5,000 to Bremen Hochschule from Bremen in Germany. The 60-metre catamaran vessel features an airbag for additional buoyancy and an advanced navigation system. Covid-19 prevention features include ventilation in the ship’s enclosed spaces with high-efficiency particulate air filters. The team was led by Sonja Winzler and comprised Michael Janssen, Bernadette Knauer, Florian Kokert, Peter Partheil and Mats Steinschutle.
Second place and a prize of $3,000 was awarded to Institute Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology in Indonesia, while third place and $1,000 was presented to the team from the Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology. A Special Award for Addressing Covid was awarded to UEA Manaus in Brazil, which included features such as distanced seating, PVC dividers and disinfection areas, and a solution to treat air with UVC light produced by LEDs that do not use environmentally harmful heavy metals.
The winning teams will present their designs at a webinar hosted by WFSA on 28 July, which can be accessed here.