VESSEL REVIEW | Cegonha-Branca – Electric commuter ferry to serve Portugal's capital city

Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Gondán has completed construction on a new all-electric commuter ferry ordered by Transtejo and Soflusa (TTSL), a public transport company that serves the Portuguese capital city of Lisbon.

Named Cegonha-Branca (“White Stork”), the new ferry boasts all-FRP construction, an LOA of 40.15 metres (131.7 feet), a beam of 12 metres (39 feet), a maximum draught of 1.65 metres (5.41 feet), a depth of 3.13 metres (10.3 feet), a displacement of 155 tonnes, and seating for 544 passengers – including those with limited mobility – on two decks.

The interiors also feature panoramic windows, multimedia screens, as well as conventional electrical sockets and USB ports where passengers can charge their mobile devices. Located on an outdoor area near the stern boarding entrances are racks that can hold up to 20 bicycles.

Battery solution for smoother, quieter sailings

The design of the ferry is based on a catamaran-type hull specifically optimised to make the most of the nearly two MWh of electrical energy stored in its two 930kWh lithium batteries, with extremely silent operation and no CO2 emissions.

Charging of the batteries to full capacity will be done at dedicated pierside facilities fitted with Zinus towers during embarkation and disembarkation. A full charge of the batteries will allow the vessel to operate continuously for up to 70 minutes at a cruising speed of 16 knots.

Although lighter than the vessels it will replace and therefore somewhat more sensitive to swells, the new ferry is stable enough that any discomfort felt by the passengers is greatly reduced.

The fully integrated electric power solution, which includes the lithium batteries, and an integrated marine and propulsion automation system was supplied by ABB. The batteries drive two 550kW main engines as well as two 55kW bow thrusters that provide the additional lateral manoeuvrability needed in busy urban waters.

Part of an ongoing fleet upgrade

The new ferry belongs to a series that will replace TTSL’s older vessels that presently operate on Lisbon's Tagus River. All ten vessels in the series will be named after species of birds native to the Tagus estuary, with the remaining four of the first five examples sailing as Garça-Vermelha (“Red Heron”), Flamingo-Rosa (“Pink Flamingo”), Ibis-Preto (“Black Ibis”), and Tarambola-Dourada (“Golden Plover”). The names of the five remaining ferries will be announced at a later date.

Gondan expects the modernised fleet to transport some 19 million people each year between the banks of Lisbon and the south of the capital. Their operation is in line with the decarbonisation strategies of both the government of Portugal and the European Union.