Electric ships powered by batteries are becoming more and more interesting for companies who want to be more sustainable. One interesting example is a new ferry being built by Incat Tasmania, ordered by Buquebús.
The new ferry will be the world’s largest zero-emissions, lightweight catamaran ferry, and it will be powered by a battery electric propulsion system and waterjets from Wärtsilä. It will be the biggest battery electric ship ever built.
Incat’s long-term South American customer, Buquebús will have the vessel to operate between Argentina and Uruguay. It has an overall length of 130 m and will have the capacity to carry 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles.
The equipment from Wärtsilä is scheduled to be delivered in the latter part of the year 2024. The vessel itself is scheduled to be delivered to Buquebús in 2025.
The deal was first published in a press release in August 2023.
This catamaran vessel will be fully battery-powered, and waterjets will be the main power for its electric motor.
In all, the vessel will have the benefit from the following solutions from Wärtsilä:
The package of the battery modules and energy storage system will yield 4 times the power of any of the ones on today’s electric or hybrid ships.
The propulsion system to be delivered
Eight main propulsors, compact and lightweight axial flow WXJ1100 waterjets which are designed and optimized for medium speed 25 knots operation. The waterjets are driven by eight very efficient permanent magnet e-motors in a compact and lightweight design.
The battery modules and energy storage system package can provide four times the efficiency than any other electric/hybrid ship currently operating.
Incat has had a practically synergistic relationship with the Wärtsilä Waterjets team for more than 30 years. During this time, Incat’s catamarans have got faster and bigger – and much more efficient.
Surprisingly, the waterjets built for this world’s largest zero-emissions catamaran ferry – were not larger than before. In fact, they were smaller, tens of tonnes lighter than on previous INCAT installations, and optimised for medium speed (25 knots) operation.
Incat and Wärtsilä have even broken a world speed record together. In 2012, Wärtsilä’s two 1720mm axial flow waterjets powered Buquebús vessel Francisco, which reached the astonishing speed of 58.1 knots (107.6 km/h), making it the world’s fastest ship. It holds a record from Guinness Book of Records.
To date, Wärtsilä has delivered over 200 waterjets to Incat Shipyard.
When you are interested in ship electrification, waterjets, and other propulsion solutions, get in touch and let’s discuss your needs and options!
