Germany's Reederei Norden-Frisia names new electric ferry

German shipping company Reederei Norden-Frisia recently held a formal naming ceremony for its newest all-electric ferry.

Frisia E-I was delivered earlier this year shortly after the completion of its final acceptance trials, which fulfiled the requirements for official approval, the necessary permits, the conclusion of necessary insurance, and the transfer to its home port of Norddeich.

The 32.3- by 9.6-metre Frisia E-I is the first purely electric seagoing vessel in operation in Germany, according to Reederei Norden-Frisia. It has a passenger capacity of 150 and is fitted with two 600kW electric motors driving propellers.

Two electrically driven 75kW bow thrusters are also fitted to provide additional lateral manoeuvrability.

Given the shallow waterways in which it will operate, the vessel has been designed with twin hulls giving it a draught of just 1.2 metres (3.9 feet). These aluminium hulls together with a superstructure, also made of aluminium, ensure that the weight has been kept to a minimum, enabling the vessel to operate at speeds of up to 19 knots, though its assigned route has a maximum permitted speed of 16 knots.

Reederei Norden-Frisia said that the travel time between Norddeich and the island of Norderney to be reduced by nearly half to just 28 minutes, and that charging of the batteries to full capacity can be completed in as little as 28 minutes. This then results in faster turnarounds, which would allow the vessel to complete up to eight round trips in one day.