Hybrid ferry launches at Hamburg

This new type 2030 ferry, equipped with an environmentally-friendly hybrid propulsion system, features two electric Voith Schneider Propellers (eVSPs).

HADAG, operating since 1888, manages all local ferry traffic in Hamburg in partnership with the Hamburg Public Transport Association. With 20 piers and eight lines, its fleet covers about 330,000 nautical miles annually.

This latest launch is part of HADAG’s push to modernise its fleet.

“Aided by CFD simulations and automated optimisation methods, our R&D experts created over several hundred individual hull design variants and calculated their respective energy efficiency levels, while strictly observing the customer’s exacting performance and consumption requirements,” said Oliver Lenz, sales application manager Marine at Voith.

The type 2030 hybrid ferry, developed by Voith in collaboration with SET Schiffbau and naValue, features a larger, optimised hull at 33 metres long and eight metres wide, accommodating up to 250 passengers.

The ferry can achieve a maximum speed of 13 knots and has a gearless propulsion system with integrated permanent magnet electric motors, for optimal manoeuvrability and safety in the challenging conditions at the port.

Voith also provided training to HADAG captains to familiarise them with the new technology.