FERRY ORDER BOOK TT-Line’s Spirit of Tasmania V is expected to be completed by mid-2025 and will eventually operate on Bass Strait between Tasmania and mainland Australia Another delayed CalMac vessel is Isle of Islay, originally scheduled for delivery in October 2024 but pushed out by four months due to ongoing supply chain issues beyond the shipyard’s control. Built to provide the Islay services linking Port Askaig and Port Ellen with Kennacraig on the mainland, this vessel has capacity for up to 450 passengers and 100 cars or 14 trucks. In January, Turkey’s Özata Shipyard held a steel-cutting ceremony for Misterøy, the first of two electric ferries being built for Norwegian operator Torghatten Nord. Designed by The Norwegian Ship Design Company, Misterøy and its sister ship Fløytind will each feature a 1,960-kilowatt-hour battery. At 76.85 metres in length, both ferries will be capable of carrying 202 passengers and 60 vehicles. These zeroemission ferries are specifically designed to operate on the Festvåg–Misten route, linking Bodø and Kjerringøy in Norway. The vessels are expected to be delivered in June and September 2026, significantly enhancing sustainable transportation in the region. Meanwhile, in the USA, contracts for a long-awaited series of new hybrid-electric car and passenger ferries for Washington State Ferries (WSF) were expected to be awarded in February 2025, with three shipyards in contention. The fleet will consist of five 1,500-passenger, 160-vehicle hybrid-electric vessels, with propulsion systems designed and supplied by ABB. WSF has indicated a preference to split the contract between two low bidders, allowing for simultaneous construction at two shipyards and accelerating delivery. If this plan is approved, the first two vessels could enter service in 2028, followed by two more in 2029 and the final vessel in 2030, significantly enhancing reliability on WSF’s Mukilteo-Clinton and SeattleBremerton routes. Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania laid the keel for the first two of four 81-metre fully electric ferries for Canadian operator BC Ferries in November 2024. The keel laying ceremony marked an important milestone in the third phase of construction of the Island-class Ferries, which will bring the total number of Damen vessels in the BC Ferries fleet to 10. Currently, Damen has six fully electric ferries under contract to be constructed at the Galati yard. This includes the four Island-class ferries, which are scheduled to be operational in Canada in 2027, as well as two ferries for the City of Toronto. Incat Tasmania takes delivery of key equipment for Buquebús’s China Zorrilla, the world’s largest electric ferry 93
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