VICTORIA OF WIGHT FERRY DELIVERED

The Victoria of Wight, Wightlink’s new flagship, designed by Houlder, has been delivered by Cemre shipyard, Turkey. This follows a successful period of trials for the 89.7m electro-hybrid ferry due to operate between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight later this year. The innovative new vessel has a draught of 2.6m and will transport 1170 people and 178 cars. Wightlink’s brief for its new flagship specified an energy efficient ferry with a lower carbon footprint than other vessels of a similar size. Houlder is a strong supporter of clean ship technology, so designed the vessel as a diesel-electric hybrid ship operating on marine gas oil (MGO) and the latest battery technology. Battery electric hybrid power was selected due to space, availability of fuel and overall flexibility. The vessel also has a number of other ingenious energy saving features such as LED motion sensitive lighting, elevators that put power back into the ship’s electrical system and heating that uses waste heat from the engines. The engines are being supplied by Wartsila and the batteries are by Corvus Energy. Its battery packs are designed to smooth out power demands so the engines run closer to optimum efficiency. Once the design was finalised, and Cemre shipyard, Yalova Turkey had won the construction tender, Houlder was named Wightlink’s owner representative and technical advisor. This role included ongoing plan approval on the Shipyards detailed design and drawings. Throughout the build, Houlder engineers have made regular site visits to inspect progress of vessel production and to ensure the quality, standards and shipbuilding progress meet the needs of the owner. Principal Naval Architect David Wing (pictured) commented ‘It is great to see the vessel one step closer to being in service. She is a fantastic example of innovation in ferry design benefitting the environment and the community she will serve.’ Houlder will continue to support the vessel as she is towed to the Solent and prepared to enter service.

For more information on VICTORIA OF WIGHT FERRY DELIVERED talk to Houlder Ltd