Estonia's Baltic Workboats (BWB) has been selected for the construction of a new inland catamaran ferry for Flemish government-owned transport company DAB Vloot.
The vessel will be a sister ship of Marnix Van Sint-Aldegonde and Op Stroom (pictured), which BWB handed over to the same customer in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Designed for operations on the Scheldt River, the ferry will measure 30 metres long and will be able to transport 150 passengers and 150 bicycles. It will also feature a fully electric drivetrain with an energy storage system (ESS) from Corvus Energy and propulsion machinery supplied by Danfoss.
BWB said solar panels will further reduce operating costs by covering auxiliary power demand.
The new DAB Vloot ferry will have a top speed of 9.7 knots, a cruising speed of 7.6 knots, and a maximum endurance of three hours on a single full charge of the ESS. BWB's integrated alarm, monitoring and control system will meanwhile permit operation by only three crewmembers.
Delivery of the new ferry is scheduled for September 2027.