May 5, 2023
- IGINIA, delivered last year to Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) for deployment on the Strait of Messina, is back in the port of Genoa at T. Mariotti and San Giorgio del Porto shipyards.
- The vessel will be equipped with batteries that are recharged via solar panels or via the shore.
- The hybridisation of the ferry is part of the fleet renewal for rail and ro-ro transport between Sicily and Calabria. The programme includes hybrid adaptation interventions on two other ships and the construction of shore power infrastructure for recharging.
- The overall investment of EUR 20 million is financed by the EU Next Gen program (in Italy called PNRR, National Recovery and Resilience Plan).
- To improve the fast passenger transport service on the Strait of Messina, RFI plans also to purchase three new generation ships with LNG / electric propulsion, with the funding of EUR 60 million from the same PNRR program.
