Norway to Help Build Scottish LNG-Fuelled Ferries

Norway’s Kongsberg Maritime (KM) said August 3 it has secured contracts worth more than $19mn (Nkr160mn) from Glasgow-based shipbuilder, Ferguson Marine (FMEL) to engineer, make and install electrical systems for two 100-metre-long ferries

The ferries, being built by FMEL for Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL), will be 'dual-fuel' vessels that can run on LNG and marine diesel. They will carry 127 cars or 16 HGVs, or a combination of both plus up to 1000 passengers will operate Caledonian MacBrayne passenger routes to/from Scotland’s Western Isles starting around late 2018.

The new cleaner ferries being built by Ferguson Marine will be operated by Caledonian MacBrayne (Photo credit: Ferguson Marine)

KM’s contracts include supply and integration of the electrical, telecom and integrated control systems, project management, interface management and engineering services at all stages. Cables, installation and installation materials for the above systems are also included. The engineering and construction phase will take two years.

FMEL said in February 2016 it had cut first steel on the hulls for the two ferries, which will be the UK’s first dual-fuel LNG passenger ships. It was awarded the £97mn ($127mn) contract to build them by CMAL in 2015. The contracts secured 150 existing jobs in at two of FMEL’s Clyde shipyards.

Dual-fuel LNG ships are common in Scandinavia. In contrast Scotland's FMEL has now built one – and is building two more – smaller hybrid ferries with diesel and alternative electric lithium-ion battery propulsion, and these are believed to be the first such passenger ships in the world.

Mark Smedley