[ 16 ] THE SHIP OF THE FUTURE Every minute counted in our quest to reduce emissions and therefore we also simulated the implementation of an automated mooring system. Today, ferries calling at both Dover and Calais still use traditional mooring ropes with rope men also operating the ports’ linkspans. This makes mooring and unmooring an unnecessarily time-consuming affair. In other parts of Europe, notably in Scandinavia, automooring has become the norm — controlled directly from the ship’s bridge, mooring and unmooring is reduced to just a matter of seconds. The same goes for automated linkspans that are operated from the ship rather than from the shore, yet another practice that is commonplace on many traffic-intensive shuttle-type ferry services in Scandinavia. When deployed and used effectively, an automated mooring and linkspan system shaves 25 minutes off the port turnaround times per roundtrip. This is equal to a 75-minute time saving for three roundtrips and 125 minutes for five roundtrips. More important still is the fuelsaving and, consequently, the emissions reduction which an automooring system warrants. Unfortunately, neither the Port of Dover nor the Port of Calais have automooring systems in place yet. Needless to say that we are very much in favour of automated mooring and linkspans as it would further optimise our operations for the benefit of climate resilience. BEST PRACTICES In early 2019, we sent out our preliminary outline specifications, a 39-page document, to over 20 shipyards. This process was followed by writing a proper tender specification, a much larger document of roughly 300 pages. This was written together with OSK Design, but our own staff also provided a great deal of input. A few key persons in our organisation had been heavily involved in building the Spirit-class but designing a next-generation ferry from a blank canvas was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of them. The newbuilding team, comprising staff from across the board including senior deck, engine and onboard services (OBS) officers, shared their vast experience with the sole aim of building a best-in-class vessel. The newbuilding team reached out to the fleet, asking them what was good, what was bad and what could be improved. This was something unprecedented in our organisation. Even when developing the Spirit-class, the input from all departments and end-users was something unique. For the Fusion-class we further raised the bar, bringing the ‘designed by you, built for you’ principle to the next level. Examples abound, but let’s share just a few of them. We had a deck officer who had to stand on a wooden box to see the navigation screens, including radar and electronic charts. As she was regularly swapping ships, she carried the wooden box with her all the time. On the Fusion-class we have introduced an industry first, notably height-adjustable navigation consoles, reminiscent of heightadjustable desks. Another example concerns access, deck height and the lighting of the dedicated upper car deck. First introduced on the Spirit-class, the fixed access ramps were too narrow and too steep, slowing down loading operations. On the Fusion-class we’ve made the ramps much wider, shallower and longer, further speeding up loading operations. We also increased the height of the upper car deck from 3.3m to 3.6m, allowing for motor homes and vans with luggage racks to be stowed on the upper deck, further freeing up space on the two freight decks. Our passengers also thought that it was too dark on the car deck, so we’ve doubled the lighting, but only during loading and unloading operations. “ When developing the Spirit-class, the input from all departments and the end-users was already something unique. For the Fusionclass we further raised the bar, bringing the ‘designed by you, built for you’ principle to the next level”
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