Havyard Design & Solutions (HDS) has unveiled a new design concept for zero-emission vessels which could be used for sightseeing tours in cities and sensitive environments like fjords.
In a statement issued yesterday (3 June), Havyard said it entered into a collaboration with SINTEF in July last year to ‘investigate new solutions for a more environmentally friendly shipping industry’ and it has drawn upon its experience of building zero-emission ferries to develop the ‘new city and fjord sightseeing concept’.
‘These ships are developed on the basis of our knowledge about battery-operation and charging, and can meet big cruise ships outside of the World Heritage areas and the cities and bring the passengers to the innermost parts of the fjords and into the city centres,’ said Havyard. ‘The ships will be 70 metres long, have a capacity of 600–800 passengers, run at 10–11 knots and offer a quiet, comfortable travel experience that matches the experience of the scenery which is the purpose of the trip.’
Havyard also imagined how the new vessel could operate in practice: ‘The passengers will be transferred on a floating hub installed at the mouth of the fjords and outside of the cities where the cruise ships call. These hubs will also serve as charging stations for the mini cruise vessels. A potential limited capacity of the grid can be overcome by connecting battery packs to the grid. This way, the load on the grid will be constant, and at the same time, the mini cruise vessels will have enough charging voltage. If the mini cruise vessels are charged during the night, they can use power from shore at the hub during their stay at daytime, thereby contributing to further emission reductions.’
Stig Magne Espeseth, who has designed and developed the new zero-emission sightseeing vessel, commented: ‘We want to demonstrate that it is possible to create new solutions to complex challenges. Zero emissions and sustainable transport will be an integrated part of the experience when passengers are going into vulnerable areas.’
