In mid-October 2020, Spanish shipyard Astilleros Gondán was awarded a contract for the construction of 10 electric ferries for the Portuguese river passenger transport operator Transtejo – Transportes Tejo. The contract, signed last January, has now received the approval of the Portuguese Court of Auditors, and the shipyard is preparing to begin the construction of the vessels.
The 40m-long ferries will be powered by an all-electric ABB system and are based on a catamaran-type hull specifically optimized to make the most of the 2MWh batteries. With a capacity of around 540 passengers, they are expected to transport some 19 million people each year across the Tagus River in Lisbon.
With a construction program of 10 vessels, the company’s GRP division says it now has a stable workload until 2024. Together with the recent contracting of two wind-powered vessels to be built on steel hulls, this places it in a solid financial position.