Dual-fuel ro-pax ‘Texelstroom’ delivered

Royal TESO’s vessel ‘Texelstroom’ will carry a capacity of 1,750 passengers and 350 vehicles between Den Helder port and Texel island. The 135.40m ferry will make the 20 minute crossing once an hour.

Two of the four main engines run on CNG or diesel, generating 2MW at 1,000rpm, with the other two diesel-driven engines generating 2MW at 750rpm. ABC noted that dual-fuel engines are supported by a flexible fuel system that allows gasses of low calorific value and fluctuating ignition quality to by burned.

A 700 m² solar photovoltaic panel field is also installed on the roof of the ferry, with the energy stored in 252 Corvus Energy AT 6500 48V lithium ion modules (with a total capacity of 1.6MW) and managed by an advanced energy management system. This energy will be used at peak times for propulsion or electricity consumption.
Under normal operation, one dual-fuel engine will be used, with the batteries used for peak shaving. The diesel engines provide redundancy and power for extra speed in an emergency, while the ferry is also capable of running entirely on battery power if needed.

Cees de Waal, director of TESO, stated: “TESO wanted to achieve its ambition where environmental benefits, cost control and quality improvement go together. The ship embodies the latest technologies for reducing emissions. With regards to the propulsion, it was very important to choose environmentally friendly and reliable engines.”