Designer and builder of specialized vessels Vard Holdings Limited has secured contracts for the construction of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered car- and passenger ferries for Norwegian ferry operator Torghatten Nord.
The total contract value amounts to approximately NOK 600 million (USD 70 million), Vard said.
The new car- and passenger ferries will be able to accommodate up to 180 cars and 550 passengers and crew. The ferries of Multi Maritime MM 125FD design will measure 130 meters in length with a beam of 20.7 meters, and will have a speed of approximately 18 knots.
The delivery of the ferries is scheduled from Vard Brevik in Norway in the third and the fourth quarter of 2018. The hulls of the vessels will be built by Vard Braila in Romania.
The ferries, equipped with hybrid gas-electric propulsion with battery systems, 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.