The world’s largest gas-powered ferry

Fjord1 has entered into a contract with Fiskerstrand BLRT, a joint venture company established by Fiskerstrand Verft near Ålesund, Norway and Western Shipyard in Klaipeda, Lithuania, to plan and construct the world’s largest gas-powered ferry which will be delivered on 30 November 2011. The newbuilding will operate on Bokna Fjord between Arsvågen and Mortavika in Rogaland county on the west coast of Norway. It will also function as a spare vessel for the Halhjem-Sandvikvåg route. The traffic on these ferry services has increased dramatically since Fjord1 took over management of them in January 2007.

The new gas-powered ferry is designed by Multi Maritime AS in Førde and will have a total length of 129.9m, a maximum width of 19.2m and a capacity of 242 cars and/or 22 lorries in combination with cars. The 7,000 gt, 1,300 dwt new ferry will hold 600 passengers including staff, and shall be built according to DNV’s Class +1A1, Car ferry A, gas fuelled, Clean, RPS, EO, R3 (NOR). The ferry will be equipped with four azimuth thrusters driven by a gas-electric system consisting of three large LNG gas motors and AC generators. The gas motors will give a service speed of approximately 20 knots.

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.

Fjord1, which began operating the world’s first gas ferry, Glutra, in Møre og Romsdal county in 2000, still stands alone in the market of operating gas-powered car ferries. Since 2007, the ferry service on Kyststamvegen in Rogaland and Hordaland Counties has been served by five such ferries from Fjord1. This third ferry on the Arsvågen-Mortavika stretch will be the sixth gas ferry in this area. Fjord1 will by the end of 2011 have 12 gas ferries in operation along the Norwegian coast, making the company a world leader.

The hull and start equipment of the new ferry will be constructed at Western Shipyard and the remaining equipment will be constructed by Fiskerstrand Verft. Fiskerstrand BLRT had a turnover of approx. NOK 470 million in 2009 and is now due to deliver five ferries in 2010 and two large ferries in 2011.