Sembcorp Marine to build double-ended Ro-Pax trio for Norled

Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine has won its first design-and-construction Ro-Pax ship project comprising three identical plug-in Ro-Pax ferries.

These vessels will be built to a proprietary design from Sembcorp Marine subsidiary LMG Marin for delivery to Norwegian ferry operator Norled in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Specially tailored to Norled’s shortsea Hella-Vangsnes-Dragsvik connections in Norway, the 84.2-metre long multi-deck, double-ended ferries can each carry up to 300 passengers and crew, as well as 80 cars or a combination of 10 cars and 10 trailer trucks.

The highly energy-efficient vessels will operate normally on zero-emissions battery power at a service speed of 10 knots. When required, they can run on combined battery-diesel hybrid backup modes.

The Norled Ro-Pax ferries will use lithium-ion batteries for propulsion, complemented by energy-efficient features throughout the vessels’ design and shore-side hydroelectricity recharging points along their service route.