German waterways authority to welcome new hybrid ferry into service

The German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes; WSV) will soon take delivery of a new hybrid Ro-Pax ferry from Estonian builder Baltic Workboats.

The ferry is the first in a series of three ordered by the WSV for operation along the Kiel Canal. It has a 24-metre-long deck that could accommodate up to 45 tonnes of vehicles.

The vessel and its two sisters, which are still under construction, will replace three ferries that have been operating on the canal since the 1950s.