2020 Newsletter week 27

Rederij Doeksen Presents WILLEM BARENTSZ

Ferry Shipping News was present at the introduction of WILLEM BARENTSZ of Rederij Doeksen on 1 July 2020.

This latest addition to the fleet of Rederij Doeksen , WILLEM BARENTSZ will come into service on Friday July 3, and her sistership WILLEM DE VLAMINGH in September. The two vessels will be on the Dutch ferry routes between Harlingen-Vlieland and Harlingen-Terschelling. To celebrate this, Rederij Doeksen organised a presentation on the vessel for a targeted audience. We thank Rederij Doeksen for the well appreciated invitation.

The Managing Director, Paul Mellies explained in his presentation that this vessel and her sister vessel have been constructed with the objective to lower the environmental impact on the Wadden Sea’s vulnerable ecosystem. The islands of Terschelling and Vlieland are very popular holiday destinations in the Netherlands and as a result of that, Rederij Doeksen is transporting approx. 785,000 passengers across the Wadden Sea every year.

Rederij Doeksen is the first Wadden-area shipping company in the Netherlands to commission LNG fuelled passenger ships. The bunkering is supplied by tank trucks.

Thanks to innovative applications, the lightweight, aluminium vessels consume significantly less energy than traditional steel ferries. The choice of LNG over low-sulphur diesel, was well-considered and results in a CO2 emissions reduction of around 11%, along with 90% less NOx, 100% less SOx, and a 95% reduction in PM10 (particulate matter) emissions. When, in time, usable Bio-LNG becomes commercially available, it may be possible to further enhance the CO2 reduction.

Paul Melles added that LNG is a safe choice as it is proven technique.

Furthermore, the vessel is equipped with solar panels to supply a portion of all onboard services that use electricity for lighting, heating, and catering systems, resulting in reduced use of LNG.

The vessel is equipped with a residual heat recovery system that ensures the maximum amount of heat is recovered for heating and electricity generation. This system covers the full energy demand needed to propel the bow thrusters for manoeuvring in port.

All of these above-mentioned factors offer a significant contribution to the preservation of the Wadden Sea area vulnerable ecosystem.

The interior has been designed by the Vripack design studio, located in Sneek. This company also designed the TEXELSTROOM of TESO. This ferry company runs a daily ferry connection between Den Helder and Texel.

Vripack design studio has a vision that, apart from looking at the design itself, the designers should also consider the consequences on its environment and use. It was clear to Rederij Doeksen and Vripack that the design of the interior of both new vessels had to focus on the passenger experience. On both ships, the ‘Wadden experience’ has been enhanced by, for example, maximising the height and width of the windows to create a wonderful outdoor feeling. The outdoor area’s will be the place to be for sun lovers in the summertime. The upstairs bar is cosy and a good place to be when the weather is not good enough to be outside on the 90 minutes journey from the mainland to the islands.

We from Ferry Shipping News wish both vessels and her passengers many safe sailings