CANADIAN FERRY OPERATOR BUILDS ON HYBRID POWER

The latest initiative constitutes the company’s ‘New Major Vessel’ programme, to offer a ro-pax payload of 2,100 passengers and some 360 standard-sized vehicles. A maximum seven newbuilds are sought to replace six ageing ferries of lower capacity on routes linking metropolitan Vancouver with Vancouver Island.

The basic design is being developed in collaboration with the Norwegian consultancy LMG Marin. The technical specification calls for a double-ended configuration, with an electrically-driven, azimuthing propulsion thruster at each end, main genset engines  capable of running on bio- and renewable fuels, and a battery-hybrid power and propulsion system. The latter will allow for conversion to full battery-electric operation once shore-based recharging infrastructure becomes available.

BC Ferries is looking to have the first of the new generation in service during 2029, with subsequent deliveries at regular intervals up to 2033.

Towards the end of February, the publicly-owned company issued a Request for Supplier Qualification (RFSQ), which is available through international shipbroker Clarksons as well as on the website bcbid.gov.bc.ca. The RFSQ will close this month on March 22, whereupon qualified shipyards will have the opportunity to take part in the Request for Proposal (RFP) process, currently expected to occur in the summer of 2024.

The planned extent of the major vessel newbuild series, plus the substantially increased daily sailing capacity that the vessels will realise, reflects projections of the rapid growth in British Columbia’s population being sustained over future decades. While the engineering design attests to objectives as regards improved reliability and reduced environmental impact, the level of standardisation is intended to yield long-term benefits in flexibility of deployment throughout the route network as well as in technical management and maintenance.

In January this year, BC Ferries awarded Damen Shipyards a fixed-price contract to design and build four 81m hybrid-electric vessels to service Vancouver Island local routes. Laid out for 390 passengers and 47 vehicles, the ferries will be new iterations of the six-ship Island Class constructed by the Damen Group and phased into operation between 2020 and 2023. The new quartet is expected to be introduced into service by 2027.

The Dutch contractor has allocated production of the latest tranche of double-enders to its Romanian division. While the design will incorporate auxiliary diesel gensets for back-up and general redundancy, the owner’s intention is to operate the vessels exclusively in battery-electric mode, using renewable BC Hydro electricity.

Battery packs with a capacity of 2,000kW will supply the electricity for the power trains, delivered to an azimuthing propulsion thruster at each end of the hull. BC Ferries is to initiate corresponding electrical upgrades for shore-based rapid charging at the terminals to be used by the vessels. The equipment will also be supplied by Damen.