After delivering hybrid ferry Gaarden in July 2020 and the fully electric ferry Düsternbrook, which will enter operations early this year, Holland Shipyards Group has signed a contract to build three additional hybrid vessels for Schlepp- und Fährgesellschaft Kiel (SFK).
The design of the three additional vessels will follow that of the Gaarden. The ferries will measure 32.40m by 8.80m and will be equipped with a hybrid drivetrain that can be powered by either generators or a battery-based energy storage system (ESS). The first two ferries will be delivered in February and May 2022 and the last in early 2026.
“Holland shipyards successfully prevailed in a European tender among 12 other shipyards. The contract included four ferries but was split into a prototype and an option of three additional vessels. Since the Gaarden has been in service for several months and fulfilled her duties, Schlepp- und Fährgesellschaft Kiel is confident to extend the contract as originally intended,” commented Ansgar Stalder, SFK fleet manager.
The vessels are part of an ongoing scheme by SFK to renew its fleet in line with the environmental goals it has set out in collaboration with the city of Kiel, which aims to be CO₂ neutral by 2050 and expects shipping to play a major part in this shift.