Norwegian Fincantieri subsidiary Vard rece[ds_preview]ived an order for two LNG powered ferries to be built at its yards in Romania and Breivik.
The total contract value for the car- and passenger vessels amounts to approximately NOK 600 million, Vard announced. The order was placed by operator Torghatten Nord of Norway.
The vessels are designed for environmentally friendly operations in the Norwegian fjords, with a total capacity of up to 180 cars and 550 passengers and crew. The design will be Multi Maritime MM 125FD, measuring 130 m in length with a beam of 20.7 m, with a speed of approximately 18 knots.
CEO and Executive Director Roy Reite commented, »I would like to welcome Torghatten Nord as a new client to Vard, and we look forward to working together with their team on this exciting project, combining LNG propulsion and battery systems. Vard has long experience in building LNG powered and dual fuel vessels. We delivered the world’s first LNG powered car- and passenger ferry back in the year 2000, and have delivered a broad range of ships using this innovative technology since, including offshore vessels, ferries and a fish feed carrier.«
According to the statement, delivery of the ferries is scheduled from the companies yard Brevik in Norway in 3Q 2018 and 4Q 2018 respectively. The hulls of the vessels will be built by Vard Braila in Romania. They will be equipped with hybrid gas-electric propulsion with battery systems to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, meeting the latest requirements for energy efficiency.
After delivery, the newbuildings are intended to be used on the Halhjem-Sandvikvåg crossing, where Torghatten Nord has been awarded a five-year contract with the Norwegian government. Torghatten Nord AS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torghatten ASA. The company operates seagoing public transportation with a total of 47 express boats and ferries in the counties Nordland and Troms in Norway.
Headquartered in Norway and with approximately 10,000 employees, Singapore-listed Vard operates ten shipbuilding facilities, including five in Norway, two in Romania, two in Brazil and one in Vietnam. The company‘s majority shareholder is Italian shipbuilding giant Fincantieri, who currently owns 55.63% in the group, and took over the former STX shipyards in 2013. At the end of 2016, Fincantieri announced that it intends to take over all shares of Vard.Â
