A contract has been signed to construct the world’s two largest hydrogen ships, designed and developed in collaboration with Torghatten Nord and will be built at Myklebust shipyard in Norway.
As informed by Norwegian Ship Design, each of the two 117m long ferries will have a capacity of 120 cars and 599 passengers. As the ferries will operate in the outer Vestfjorden in Lofoten, one of the longest and most challenging ferry routes in Norway, they are designed with closed car decks and a special hull design for operate in exposed waters. Reportedly, these vessels will be the world’s largest hydrogen-powered ships and feature the largest hydrogen installation ever on a ship.
The ferries are designed for 100% zero-emission and feature a multi-hybrid propulsion system with hydrogen-electric as the primary mode and diesel-electric as the secondary mode.
The project “hydrogen ferry to Vestfjorden” began for us back in 2019 with preparations for a tender that was announced in 2021. In 2022, Torghatten Nord signed a contract with the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, and an extensive development process has been underway since then, including Hazid, preliminary approvals, safety analyses, and model tests.
Extensive model tests of the new hull design have also been conducted to ensure low energy consumption and good roll damping in the rough sea area that is the outer Vestfjorden. Through close collaboration with Torghatten Nord and their technical team, the project is now more than ready to welcome the respected shipyard, Myklebust Verft, on board!
… explained Norwegian Ship Design CEO, Gjermund Johannessen. Meanwhile, project manager, Stian Holsen, highlighted that Norwegian Ship Design delivers an extensive design package, including everything from design to 3D modelling and delivery of construction/working drawings.
We look forward to an exciting and groundbreaking project, as well as a good collaboration with Torghatten Nord, Myklebust Verft, and all involved suppliers
… said Stian Holsen
