CRIST – LMG Marin Design Ice-Class Hybrid-Electric Ferry for Estonia
By Marek Grzybowski
Estonian State Fleet management has signed a contract with CRIST S.A. (Gdynia, Poland) for the construction fully electric passenger ferry. This is a contract worth nearly €50 million.
CRIST shipyard has completed modern low-emission units, including the fully electric Altera and Elektra ferries operating in difficult sea conditions in Finland. The ferry will be designed by the Norwegian design office LMG Marin, whose portfolio includes over 200 ferries, including electric and hybrid units.
The ferry will be the first vessel in Estonia to operate on 100% electric power on a daily basis. The ferry will be over 60% more energy-efficient than the current Regula ferry, which is powered by traditional diesel generators.
The vessel will be charged with electricity from shore. The electric motors will draw power from a 3 MWh battery. This will enable all-electric operation on the main Virtsu-Kuivastu route.
The ferry will be ice class 1B, allowing it to navigate ice up to 60 cm thick. The vessel will be equipped with modern azimuth thrusters at both ends of the hull.
The Estonian State Fleet (Riigilaevastik) has ordered an all-electric passenger ferry. TS Laevad, a subsidiary of the Port of Tallinn, will operate the vessel. The approximately 100-meter-long vessel will carry a maximum of 380 passengers and up to 110 passenger cars or eight trucks.