Cruise & Ferry Review - Spring/Summer 2021

9 4 years. Brødrene’s one-deck Aero vessels will reduce energy consumption by about 10 per cent and reducing the company’s emissions footprint. The new craft will also be fitted with solar panels, generating the energy required for all lighting and energy consumption of the accommodation areas. Delivery is expected in early 2022. Norwegian operator Kolumbus and Norway’s Fjellstrand shipyard have signed a contract for the delivery of the world’s first fully electrical fast ferry. The TrAM (Transport – Advanced and Modular) project will receive economical support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, which aims to develop new methods for the design and production of zero-emissions passenger vessels. Rogaland County Council will also partially finance the construction of the craft, which will commence a trial service from Stavanger to Byøyene and Hommersåk in 2022. Viking Line’s new 63,813gt ro-pax cruise ferry Viking Glory, which is due to enter service on the Stockholm- Åland-Turku route in early 2022, was floated out of the building dock on 26 January. The €194 million ($231 million) LNG-powered ferry is under construction at Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry and is expected to be delivered at the end of 2021 – one year behind schedule. Replacing the 1988-built Amorella, the new ship will be about 11 per cent larger than the 2013-built Viking Grace, but the hull design and energy consumption have been further optimised to reduce fuel use by an estimated 10 per cent. CFR KiwiRail has contracted South Korea’s Hyundai Mipo Dockyard to build two new vessels for its Interislander fleet FERRY ORDER BOOK