Estonia has launched a call for tender for the design and construction of a battery-powered electric ferry to serve the main islands in the country.
Estonian State Fleet, a government-controlled center dedicated to developing and managing state-owned vessels, announced the call for tender on October 11, 2024.
The new ferry is planned to be the main vessel for the Virtsu-Kuivastu route in Estonia but will also be suitable for the Rohuküla-Heltermaa route if necessary.
As explained, the updated design concept for the new ferry focuses on maximizing energy and cost efficiency.
Estonian Minister of Infrastructure, Vladimir Svet , emphasized the importance of maintaining strong and reliable connections between the Estonian mainland and the islands.
“I’m proud to see Estonia leading the way in adopting environmentally sustainable technologies in the maritime sector to achieve this. The new ferry will be similar in size and capacity to the existing vessels but will be significantly more economical and environmentally sustainable,” Svet said.
The new ferry will primarily be powered by green electricity , sourced from the shore and stored in the ship’s onboard batteries. In addition, biodiesel-powered auxiliary generators will be available for use during extreme ice conditions or other special circumstances.
According to Sander Sääsk , Director of Development Services at the Estonian State Fleet, electricity will remain the vessel’s primary energy source to maximize use efficiency.
“The project’s funding criteria require the new ferry to be at least 66% more energy-efficient than the reference vessel, and this standard has been fully integrated into the current tender,” Sääsk commented.
The ferry will be able to accommodate up to 500 passengers and around 130 vehicles.
“The proposed size of the vessel allows for quicker loading, which will help operators maintain the current ferry schedules,” Sääsk added.
The overall length of the ferry must fall within the range of 100 to 114 meters, considering the specific characteristics of the Kuivastu and Virtsu harbors. The ferry must also meet ice class 1B as defined by the Finnish-Swedish ice class regulations.
The deadline for submission of tenders for the construction and design of the vessel is December 10, 2024. The ferry is scheduled for completion by February 2027, with operations set to commence later that spring.
The ferry project is financed by the European Modernisation Fund and revenues from CO2 emissions trading.
Initially, the country envisaged a larger hydrogen-powered ship as the new ferry between the big islands. The call for tender for the hydrogen-fueled ship was closed without finding a contract partner on April 4, 2024.
Although hydrogen is valued as one of the future alternative fuels in shipping, the spring procurement experience showed that shipbuilders are not yet ready to implement hydrogen systems on such a scale on passenger ships, or it is done with a very high-risk margin, according to the Estonian State Fleet.