Jul 6 2010
The Norwegian transport corporation Fjord1 has entered into a contract with Fiskerstrand BLRT AS to plan and construct the world’s largest gas-powered ferry. The ferry will run on Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and will be delivered on 30 November 2011 for operation on Bokna Fjord between Arsvågen and Mortavika in Rogaland County.
It will also function as a spare vessel for the Halhjem-Sandvikvåg route in Hordaland County. The traffic on these ferry services has increased dramatically since Fjord1 took over management of them in January 2007.
The new LNG-powered ferry is designed by Multi Maritime AS in Førde and will have a total length of 129.9 metres, a maximum width of 19.2 metres and a capacity of 242 cars and/or 22 lorries in combination with cars.
The contract was won in a tough European shipyard competition. “We are very pleased to have won such a tough competitive tendering and to know that we can compete with other European shipyards,” says CEO Rolf Fiskerstrand of Fiskerstrand BLRT.
More frequent departures
CEO Leif Øverland of Fjord1 points out that the new ferry will improve the everyday situation for commuters using the route. “This is a great day for motorists. With this third ferry in operation on Bokna Fjord, we will ensure departures every twenty minutes – compared with every thirty minutes at present.”
These ferry services were used by more than two million private cars and goods vehicles in 2009, and without the new ferry, queues would soon increase to an unacceptable level. The Arsvågen-Mortavika and Halhjem-Sandvikvåg services are two of the three busiest stretches in the country, with 3.9 million PCE in 2009. The ferry will also be used as a spare vessel on Bjørnefjorden for planned maintenance or technical problems on this ferry service. In these cases, the ferry services will run according to the current timetable.
Environment-friendly solution
Øverland also expects a solid reduction of air pollution with the new vessel, with a 90% reduction in NOx emissions compared to conventional diesel operated ferries. “The fact that the government focuses strongly on environment-friendly forms of energy consumption in competitive tenderings is something we are very happy about.”
LNG is an attractive alternative fuel not only because it is relatively clean, but also because Norway has an ample supply.
Source: http://www.fjord1.no/