Tag: ferries

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is conducting the investigation into the 25 October 2015 accident near Tofino, British Columbia, involving the passenger vessel Leviathan II.

Interferry held its 40th annual conference in Copenhagen earlier this month with a focus on air emissions.Michael Cramer, German chair of the European Parliament’s transport and tourism committee, delivered a stinging opening address demanding that the ferry and shipping sectors become more environmentally sustainable. He said ‘most vessels are like hazardous waste incinerators because they burn heavy fuel oil which should be processed as highly toxic waste but is usually exhaled without sufficient filtering’.  He alleged that, according to recent studies, this caused 50,000 premature deaths per year in Europe at an annual cost to society of 58 billion euros.Mr Cramer conceded that the carbon footprint of a tonne of goods carried by ship was lower than any other transport mode.  He also acknowledged that some shipowners had already acted to reduce emissions, but called for the industry to explore further technological and operational measures – a plea answered in several subsequent sessions devoted to innovation.Michael Cramer illustrated his concerns over shipping’s ‘decisive role’ in air pollution with a string of statistics.  He said that 70% of global maritime emissions came within 400km of coastlines, with vessels operating at EU ports accounting for up to 30% of worldwide CO2 shipping ...

Incat Tasmania's Hobart Shipyard has been awarded a contract to build six new ferries to operate on Sydney's Inner Harbour

The first remote-controlled ferry demonstrator could hit the water within four to five years thanks to a new wave of research

 Deltamarin launched its new ferry design “DeltaLinx” during the BaltExpo 2015 exhibition in the beginning in September in Gdańsk, Poland. DeltaLinx is a compact ferry designed for short coastal routes to link small neighbouring towns with an emphasis on minimal environmental footprint.Earlier this year Deltamarin introduced to the market the “DeltaChallenger” concept, which showcases the future ro-pax vessel by incorporating the latest technologies available in a brand new way.The ready-to-apply DeltaLinx design uses existing technologies to its full potential and integrates them into the smallest possible package. Its compact main dimensions enable operations in small ports and congested harbours. The design also features a propulsion system that utilises LNG as fuel to eliminate sulphur oxides (SOx) and to reduce amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in exhaust gases. A large LNG tank below the car deck is designed for weekly refuelling.The vessel length of approximately 80 meters allows easy operations between smaller towns and congested ports. High-lift rudders and a bow thruster make manoeuvring easy. Reduced resistance and low wash are ensured by streamlined hull lines. To cope with rough weather along the route, an extensive freeboard in the bow area is provided. Additionally fin stabilisers secure ...

 The first purely battery-driven car and passenger ferry Ampere has won the Ship Efficiency Award in the category Environmental Technology. The award recognizes innovative solutions which have contributed to reducing the environmental impact of shipping operations.The 80 metre long DNV GL classed vessel is one of three ferries operated by the Norwegian shipping company Norled between Lavik and Oppedal and is able to carry 120 cars and 360 passengers.“Ampere is trading in Sognefjord with 100 per cent regularity and consumes 50 per cent less energy compared with a traditional diesel ferry on the same route. It has proven to be a huge success for Norled,” said Claes Skat-Rørdam of award sponsor Hempel on behalf of the judges.Tord Helland, Finance Director at Norled, accepted the award in London.“The Ship Efficiency Award is not only recognition for the hard work we have done with our project partners, but it also confirms our efforts and contribution to the global climate goals by reducing air pollution,” Helland said. “An electrical ferry that can save up to one million litres of fuel annually, thereby preventing 2,640 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, can make a strong statement in this regard.” Ampere runs 34 ...

 Shipping company Baleària and Shipyard Construcciones Navales del Norte – La Naval have reached an Agreement – expected to be firm in two months – for the construction of two natural gas propelled ferries which will imply an investment of around Euro 350 million.The new ships, further to be the first ones to be running on natural gas in Spain, will be among the largest in Europe and the biggest ever built in a Spanish shipyard.Baleària, with its focus on the energy efficiency has ordered these ships with dual fuel engines that will be capable to run on natural gas or diesel oil and therefore will allow the company to reduce more than 30% the CO2 emissions as well as others. The construction of the first unit will start in 2016 and will be in operation during the first quarter of 2018.Chairman of Baleària, Mr. Adolfo Utor, points out that “the investment in the construction of new ships is the way of growing and being more competitive” and adds “these ferries will be a very technologically advanced and innovative units, based not only in the propulsion system but also incorporating systems onboard allowing to be more eco-efficient, together with a ...

  The start of production of Tallink's new generation LNG powered fast ferry for the Tallinn-Helsinki route was celebrated on the 4th of August 2015 at Meyer Turku shipyard. The new ferry will be approximately 212 metres in length with a gross tonnage of 49 000. The ship will operate on the route between Helsinki and Tallinn and she is designed for carrying 2800 passengers. The service speed is 27 knots. The ship will be delivered from Meyer Turku in the beginning of 2017. The project gives approximately 2000 person-years of employment for the shipyard and the supplier network. The new environmentally friendly ship uses LNG as fuel and she will comply with the new and stricter emission regulations for the ECA areas including the Baltic Sea. The highly innovative hull form minimizes the hydrodynamic flow resistance, which together with other innovative solutions will bring significant improvement in energy efficiency. Efficient and fast cargo turnaround in ports has been taken into account in the design of the new generation fast ferry. Janek Stalmeister, the CEO of AS Tallink Grupp, said that the new shuttle vessel will pave the way for the next era of fast ferry service on the Tallinn-Helsinki ...

  Five members of trade association Interferry are to receive European Union (EU) grants totalling €48 million towards the cost of installing exhaust scrubber systems to meet the stringent 0.1% sulphur emissions limit in force since January. The awards are among the latest under the multi-annual Motorways of the Seas programme – part of the EU’s Connect Europe Facility (CEF) - and include €18 million for the Grimaldi Group’s Finnlines division, €9m to DFDS, €8m to Stena Line, €7m to Brittany Ferries and €6m to Scandlines. The European Commission invited bids for the current phase of CEF financial support last September. From an unprecedented 700 applications, 276 projects were recommended to the CEF Committee in June and confirmed earlier this month – marking a record €13.1 billion round of investment in transport infrastructure. During the inaugural European Shipping Week held in Brussels in March, Interferry arranged for EU and industry delegates to inspect a scrubber unit on the DFDS ro-ro vessel Primula in Ghent. Regulatory affairs director Johan Roos comments: “We were very glad to show officials the enormous economic and technical challenges involved in retrofitting this equipment. It is extremely gratifying that our members’ efforts have now been recognised ...

(Image Credit: Red and White Fleet) Sandia National Laboratories and San Francisco's Red and White Fleet are partnering to to design, build and operate a high-speed hydrogen fuel cell passenger ferry and hydrogen refueling station. Hydrogen fuel cells have several advantages over the diesel engines that power most passenger ferries — no harmful exhaust emissions, higher energy efficiency, quiet operation and no risk of fuel spills. Replacing diesel engines and generators with hydrogen fuel cells could greatly improve air and water quality in harbor areas. The hydrogen refueling station is planned to be the largest in the world and serve fuel cell electric cars, buses and fleet vehicles in addition to the ferry and other maritime vehicles. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) is funding a feasibility study to examine the technical, regulatory and economic aspects of the project. “The Maritime Administration is committed to finding new and efficient technologies for use in the maritime industry that reduce pollution and protect our environment,” said Maritime Administrator Paul ‘Chip’ Jaenichen. “This industry continues moving forward on renewable energy and clean-fuel options, and this project encourages a shift toward lower impact maritime fuels that may further green the waterborne link in our ...