The two new LNG-fueled catamarans built for the Dutch ferry operator Rederij Doeksen are expected to arrive in Harlingen on Wednesday, May 29.
The LNG-fueled pair left Vung Tau, Vietnam, where they were built by the Australian shipbuilder Strategic Marine, on March 8, the company said in its statement.
The catamarans are being towed to Harlingen, where the remaining work will be done at Nesta Shipping Company.
From January 7, 2020, the vessels will be deployed on the Terschelling and Vlieland lines, the statement reads.
The heavy lift vessel (HLV) MS Sun Rise arrived near Den Helder harbor in The Netherlands on Monday delivering the vessels. Following an inspection by the construction committee of Rederij Doeksen, the “loosening” of the ships began on Tuesday.
Early on Wednesday morning, the ballast tanks were filled up on the Sun Rise, so that the ship partially sank, releasing the LNG-fueled catamarans on their journey to Harlingen assisted by tugboats.
The two catamarans are the first single fuel LNG ferries in The Netherlands and the first ships in the world, with single fuel LNG engines directly driving a fixed propeller, the ferry operator said in a statement.
In 2016 Rederij Doeksen commissioned the Australian shipbuilder Strategic Marine to build two new LNG catamarans which will operate on the Wadden Sea to and from the Terschelling and Vlieland islands.
Dutch design agency Vripack was responsible for the design of both the interior and exterior of the vessels.