Incat to Commence Design Study for New Electric-Hybrid Ferry in Partnership with DFDS

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Incat to Commence Design Study for New Electric-Hybrid Ferry in Partnership with DFDS​


Incat Tasmania is excited to announce a new partnership with Danish Shipping and Logistics Company DFDS to complete a design study for the construction of a cutting-edge electric-hybrid ferry.

The 72-metre ferry, which will have the option to convert to fully electric, is suited to a number of ferry routes across Europe.

Incat CEO Stephen Casey says the Tasmanian shipbuilder is ideally placed to design and build this next generation of ships for the world market.

“Since launching the design of our series produced electric ships last November there has been significant interest from many ferry operators, and we’re excited to work with DFDS on their projects,” Mr Casey said.

“The Incat 72-metre series is offered in a fully electric model that is suited to many ferry networks around the world.”

“Incat’s industry leading design and construction capabilities, and our commitment to sustainability, make us the logical choice for ferry operators who want a vessel of the highest quality whilst minimising their environmental footprint.”

“We know that battery electric or electric-hybrid propulsion coupled with lightweight aluminium on shorter sea routes will be the ideal choice to cut emissions, and it’s great to see major operators such as DFDS sharing in our goal to shape the future of decarbonisation in maritime transport.”

“Incat pioneered the development of large vehicle carrying catamarans in the 1990’s and now we’re ready to work with ferry operators around the world to showcase what the future of maritime transport looks like.”

“Incat has specialised in lightweight aluminum vessel design and construction for the past four decades. Aluminum ferries, being approximately half the weight of their steel counterparts, require less power when operated at similar speeds and deadweights. This results in significant energy savings and emissions reductions.”

Incat is based in Tasmania where the State generates 100 per cent of its energy needs from renewables, and the energy consumed in the construction of Incat vessels comes from 100 per cent renewable sources – a combination of hydro, wind and solar. Tasmania has achieved Net Zero emissions for the past 7 years in a row, making Incat the only shipyard in Australia, and part of only a handful in the world, able to produce zero-emission ships in a State that has already achieved net-zero.

Incat is world renowned for its quality shipbuilding, undertaking all its manufacturing on shore in Australia and servicing a global market. Incat was recently announced as one of Australia’s Best Managed Companies for 2023 as part of Deloitte Private’s Best Managed Companies Program.

DFDS-70M-RENDER-SKY-1-WEB.jpg
Illustrasjon: Incat
 
This small 72m projected Incat-Catamaran is full OK - but it is much much much too small for all routes around the Channel Islands.

Is for me totally unclear how DFDS can plan anything around the Channel Islands with such a really very small ferry - and furthermore spend time and money in contract-signing, design, project-costs etc. . The max.-capacity shall be lower than 80 cars only - if trucks, motor-homes, ferry-buses and tourist-coaches are 0 !
The actually ferries from Condor was often too small already - especially in summer - but are all much much bigger than this projected small DFDS-Catamaran. Furthermore is with electric propulsion to expect, that the speed will be much lower than the usually ca. 37 knots of big Catamarans today = in future less round-trips and departures per day possible than today with the actually Condor-ferries.

Has also nothing to do with what the Politicians / Governments on the both Islands Jersey and Guernsey really want = a MUCH BETTER ferry-service than today. What means bigger capacities, more faster departures, more space and more comfort onboard, cheaper ticket-prices for more competition with the flights and for to get much more tourists with cars and motor-homes and tourist-coaches also to the Islands. And that the Islanders can much more often and cheaper make day-trips on land with their cars or ferry-buses - f.ex. for biggest shopping (furniture, TV, E-bikes, big moving-machines etc.). But they do NOT want the same ferry-service as today, but only with another brand on the ferries and certainly not a deterioration of the ferry-service with even more smaller capacities and more slowly speed !

Bornholm has 39.000 people - and is very frequently operated mostly every 2 hours with 2 biggest fast Catamarans for 450 and 417 cars (1600/1400 Pax) and double-deck ferry-buses directly to Copenhagen and a RoPax-ferry for 353 cars (720 Pax).

Jersey has ca. 105.000 people now and the population is always growing with ca. 5000 people more every 10 years.
Geurnsey has ca. 65.000 people now and the population is always growing between 0,6 and 0,9% every year more.
So together with the small Islands Alderney, Sark etc. there are circa 180.000 people living on the Channel-Islands
plus extra all the lot of business-travelers (no, a lot of them use not the flights - there are 1000s luxury fashion-stores on these Islands and usually all this business-people, sellers, commercial agents are travelling in big business-cars with samples for presentation etc.) and all kinds of tourists are coming on top.
And furthermore especially on Jersey there are also in meantime serious plans started for to built in long-term a road-tunnel to France.
So they want in future a much more better and bigger and faster connection to mainland Europe - and also a much bigger tourist-business.

So there are more than 4,5-times so much people than in Bornholm - but DFDS want to operate there with a Catamaran smaller than 80 cars ? And even more slowly than the both much bigger Condor-Catamarans today ?

Just another comparison: Also the 84,50m small slowly Catamaran ALFRED from Pentland-Ferries to the Orkney-Islands is bigger with a max.-capacity of 98 cars - or 54 cars + 12 trucks. And this ferry is only a kind of a private "extra-ferry" in competition with the officially ferry-route Scrabster-Stomness. And the Orkneys has only 22.000 people and much much much less business-travelers and tourists than the Channel-Islands and are served with 7 ferries (up to 140 cars) per day and direction totally.

I was never the best in mathematics - but i can really not understand the capacity-mathematics of DFDS... .
All the growing masses of (asian) tourist-coaches coming from Paris via Mont-St.Michel shall then on such a small Catamaran to Jersey ?
 
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