VESSEL REVIEW | Vestrefjord – Turkish-built electric ferry for Norway’s Boreal

A new double-ended Ro-Pax ferry has been handed over to Norwegian vessel operator Boreal.

Vestrefjord was built by Sedef Shipyard of Istanbul, Turkey to a design by Norwegian naval architecture firm Multi Maritime as the third in a series of electric ferries ordered by Boreal. The acquisition of the electric ferries is in line with the owner's goal of providing increased comfort for passengers while achieving significantly reduced CO2 and NOx emissions during its daily operations.

Vestrefjord will be operated by Boreal Sjo, the Boreal subsidiary that provides Ro-Pax and fast commuter ferry services for the Nordland and Troms og Finnmark counties of Northern Norway. Malmefjord and Tomrefjord, its two earlier sister ferries, were delivered by Sedef in 2021.

The DNV-classed newbuild has an LOA of 108.8 metres, a moulded beam of 17.7 metres, a draught of 3.8 metres, and capacity for 399 passengers and crew. The vehicle deck has 234 lane metres that can accommodate either 120 cars or 12 standard 19.5-metre-long trailers.

The electric propulsion system consists of three Scania DI16 640kW diesel generators that drive fore and aft Kongsberg Maritime 1,200kW azimuthing thrusters housing controllable-pitch propellers. This configuration enables the ferry to reach speeds of up to 14 knots. Also fitted are a Stamford backup generator and a battery pack from Siemens.

The onboard facilities include modern lounges with large windows, multiple seating areas, and a refreshment kiosk. The interiors also feature Glamox lights, Ekornes furniture, Libra-Plast doors, and a Teknotherm ventilation system.

The wheelhouse meanwhile is fitted with Furuno navigation electronics as well as crew seats from NorSap.

Work on the interiors was completed by Maritime Montering. Jotun paint was used on the exterior surfaces.

The ferry is also adequately equipped for emergency evacuation and MOB incidents. Viking Norsafe supplied the MOB boats and the liferafts and Undertun provided the marine evacuation system.

Vestrefjord has already begun sailing on Boreal Sjo's Molde–Vestnes alongside its two earlier sister vessels. Shore power facilities are available at either port for use by the ferries for charging their batteries.

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