Rederij Doeksen puts newest ferry into service

Dutch operator Rederij Doeksen commenced operational sailings of its newest catamaran ferry on Wednesday, July 1.

The aluminium-hulled Willem Barentsz is the first in a series of two vessels that Doeksen recently acquired for operations on the Wadden Sea between the city of Harlingen on the northern coast of the Dutch mainland and the West Frisian islands of Terschelling and Vlieland.

The newbuild has a length of 70 metres and capacity for 600 passengers and 64 cars. Two Rolls-Royce MTU 1,492kW LNG engines deliver a cruising speed of 14 knots.

Willem Barentsz and sister vessel Willem de Vlamingh, which is due to enter service in September, were designed by BMT Nigel Gee and built at the Vietnam facilities of Strategic Marine.