Like its sister ship, the new 70-meter ferry is made entirely of aluminum, making it lighter and meaning it uses less fuel than conventional ferries. The 16-cylinder mtu Series 4000 gas engines produce an output of 1492 kW, and the ferry can reach a top speed of 14 knots. The existing fleet can make good use of the reinforcement from the new ferry additions - every year, around 800,000 people want to be transported back and forth from Harlingen on the Dutch mainland to the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling, some 30 kilometers away.
The vessel will initially run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which Doeksen regards as something of a transitional fuel. In future – as soon as the necessary infrastructure is in place – the company wants to switch to more sustainable liquefied biogas (LBG). A residual heat recovery system already ensures that thermal energy from the engine cooling system and the exhaust gases is recycled. Two Orcan units also supply all the electrical power requirements of the bow thruster system as well as covering part of the normal electrical requirements on board.
