Schottel Propulsion for New Seaspan Ferries’ Hybrid RoRos

Canadian ferry operator Seaspan Ferries has selected German propulsion system specialist Schottel to supply propulsion equipment for the new LNG – battery hybrid vessel duo.

Each of the two newbuild roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) units will be equipped with Schottel’s combi drives and transverse thrusters.

Powered by two natural gas fueled engines with 209 cbm storage onboard plus 2 MWh batteries, the ferries will have a capacity of 1,034 lane meters each and will be servicing the commercial route from Vancouver Island to the lower mainland.

The new RoRos will join the company’s first two hybrid vessels, Seaspan Swift and Seaspan Reliant, which were commissioned just over two years ago. Seaspan Ferries currently operates a fleet of seven ferries out of four terminals in British Columbia, Canada.

Scheduled to start construction later this year at Damen Shipyards’ site in Mangalia, Romania, the vessels are expected to go into operation in 2021.

“Thanks to the positive experiences we’ve had with Schottel thrusters in our first two LNG ferries, we once again opted for the German manufacturer,” Harly Penner, Director of Fleet Engineering & Vessel Development at Seaspan Ferries, said.