FLORØ, Norway--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today Fjord1 will have a naming ceremony for MF Boknafjord, the world’s largest gas ferry. The new eco-friendly ferry, delivered by Fiskerstrand BLRT AS, will serve the Arsvågen-Mortavika route on the Boknafjord in Rogaland County, in addition to making sure the Halhjem-Sandvikvåg route in Hordaland County now gets a spare vessel. The traffic on these ferry routes has surged since Fjord1 took over as operator in January 2007.
The naming ceremony will take place at Fiskerstrand Shipyard in Ålesund, Western Norway, with Minister of Transport and Communications Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa as godmother.
More frequent departures
Minister of Transport Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa, remarks that the new ferry will give its users greater convenience in their everyday commute:
“This is a great day for travellers in the area. With this third ferry in operation on Boknafjord, we can ensure 20-minute departures—as opposed to every 30 minutes as we have now.”
Leif Øverland, CEO of Fjord1, is glad the traffic challenges are now solved:
“Without the new ferry, we would have had an increasing capacity problem on this busy link.”
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA), that ordered the new ferry due to a large increase in traffic in the area, is also looking forward to get the new ferry in operation.
“The increase in traffic on these two ferry links alone has been much higher than our prognosis showed when we started in 2007. The lines and latency have sometimes been longer than what we would like to offer travellers. We are therefore looking forward to getting MF Boknafjord into operation, and we congratulate Fjord1 with the new build, says Øyvind Haaland, leader at the road and transport section in NPRA, Region West.
About 2,2 million cars and about five million passengers used the two ferry links in 2011. The ferry shall also serve as a spare vessel for Bjørnefjorden in case of planned maintenance downtime or any unforeseen problems. The route will then run according to the schedule in effect today.
An eco-friendly solution
Øverland also points out that this is a great day for the environment. In reducing NOX emissions of approximately 90 per cent, the natural gas-powered ferries are very environment-friendly:
“We strive to minimise our effect on the environment around us, and are therefore encouraged by the government’s strong focus on eco-friendly forms of energy consumption in the tendering process”, says Leif Øverland, CEO of Fjord1.
Aside from being gas-powered, the ferry’s hull design and more efficient engine technology yield additional energy savings by reducing fuel consumption and methane emissions.
By changing from diesel to natural gas, virtually all emissions of particles (smoke/soot) are eliminated, as well as all emissions of sulphur. Furthermore, CO2 emissions will be reduced by as much as 25 per cent.
Fjord1: a world leader for gas-powered ferries
Fjord1 has long focused on eco-friendly transport solutions. The company, which started operating the world’s first gas ferry Glutra in Møre og Romsdal County in 2000, is a market leader in the operation of gas-powered car ferries. The ferry route serving the coastal trunk road in Rogaland and Hordaland Counties has since 2007 been served by five such ferries from Fjord1. This third ferry on the Arsvågen-Mortavika route—which will also be a substitute vessel for Halhjem-Sandvikvåg—will thus be the sixth gas ferry in this region. By the end of 2011, Fjord1 will have 12 gas ferries in operation along the Norwegian coast, making the company a world leader.
“We have an increased focus on environmental aspects in all parts of our company, and look forward to using this modern, future-oriented ferry in our transport network”, says Stig Kristoffersen, Managing Director of Fjord1 Fylkesbaatane, which operates these ferries.
About MF Boknafjord
The new, gas-operated ferry is designed by Multi Maritime AS in Førde, Western Norway and has a total length of 129.9 m, a maximum width of 19.2 m and a capacity of 242 passenger cars or 22 heavy goods vehicles in combination with passenger cars. The ferry holds 600 passengers including staff. The ferry is built according to Det Norske Veritas’s Class, has deadweight of approx. 1350 metric tonnes and is approx. 7500 register tonnes. Furthermore, the ship has four azimuth thrusters that are run by a gas-electric system consisting of three large LNG gas motors and alternators. The gas motors will give a service speed of approx. 20 knots.
About Fjord1
Fjord1 is one of the largest transport corporations in the country, with ferry operation, passenger and express boat operation, bus operation and tourism as its core business areas. The corporation has approx. 2100 employees and had a turnover of approx. three billion NOK in 2010. The Fjord1 companies operate 68 ferries, 14 express boats and more than 350 buses in total. The corporate headquarters are in Florø, Western Norway. For more information, please visit our website, www.fjord1.no.
About Fiskerstrand
Fiskerstrand BLRT AS is a Norwegian-registered joint venture company established 50/50 in 2007 by Fiskerstrand Verft AS in Ålesund and Western Shipyard in Klaipeda, Lithuania. The two shipyards have cooperated closely since 2000 and the new company is responsible for the shipyard group’s shared focus on shipbuilding and projects related to renewable energy. Fiskerstrand BLRT AS has a joint, overall responsibility for design/engineering, sales/marketing, contracting, funding, major purchases, project management, shipyard coordination and handover to client (www.fblrt.com).
The new ferry’s hull and start equipment is manufactured at Western Baltija Shipbuilding in Klaipeda, Lithuania, and the remaining equipment manufactured, tested and finalised by Fiskerstrand Verft AS in Ålesund, Norway. Fiskerstrand BLRT repairs and builds ships and, together with collaborating companies, have about 300-350 people at the shipyard daily. Fiskerstrand Verft had a turnover in 2010 of about 735 million kroner (www.fiskerstrand.no).
Western Shipyard and Western Baltija Shipbuilding is part of the BLRT Grupp which is headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia. The group consists of 79 companies with 4000 employees and has activities in 8 European countries (www.wsy.lt and www.blrt.ee).
Fiskerstrand BLRT AS aims to be the leading provider of concept development and construction of medium-sized ferries in Europe, and this contract confirms this goal. Fiskerstrand BLRT AS had a turnover of approx. 774 million NOK in 2010.
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