Hamburg-based transport company welcomes second hybrid ferry in series

Vessel operator HADAG, a subsidiary of German transport provider Hamburger Hochbahn, recently placed a new hybrid passenger ferry into service.

Named Finkenwerder after a district in the city of Hamburg, the ferry is the second unit in a planned series of three vessels that HADAG will operate in the Elbe River. The first vessel, Neuland, was delivered earlier this year.

The ferry has an LOA of 33.4 metres, a beam of 8.3 metres, an elevated wheelhouse from which the vessel may be operated by only one crewmember, and space for up to 250 passengers on main (146 passengers) and upper decks (84) with access between decks provided by a wide staircase. The exterior areas on the main deck can also accommodate bicycles while all passenger spaces are barrier-free to provide enhanced access even for individuals with limited mobility.

The ferry also boasts a hybrid electric propulsion arrangement in line with transport emission rules being enforced in the Elbe, particularly the stretch of the river that passes through the city of Hamburg.

Finkenwerder is sponsored by COSCO Shipping via COSCO Shipping Europe, hence its use of the COSCO Shipping livery. Construction of the ferry was undertaken by German shipyard Schiffsbau u Entwicklungsgesellschaft Tangermünde.