Construction of Ro-Pax ferries for Polish shipowners has started
On Monday, 24 October, the production of the first Ro-Pax ferry newbuilding, shipyard number 101, for Polskie Promy, which will be operated by Unity Line, a company belonging to Polsteam, was launched at Remontowa Shiprepair Yard (Remontowa) in Gdańsk.
The ferry’s first steel-cutting ceremony was attended, among others, by Grzegorz Witkowski, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Andrzej Wróblewski – Director General of Polsteam, Adam Ruszkowski – CEO at the Management Board of Remontowa Holding SA, Michał Habina – CEO at the Management Board of Remontowa, as well as representatives of banks and insurance companies, classification societies, institutions and companies involved in the project and shipyard workers.
The ferries are being built under a contract signed on 26 November 2021. Remontowa will build three units for the state-owned company Polskie Promy (eng. Polish Ferries). Two of the vessels will sail in the colours of Unity Line, a subsidiary of Polsteam, and one will be used by Polferries. A letter of intent, including an option to build a fourth ferry, is part of the agreement.
These will be among the most modern vessels of their kind in the Baltic, powered by four liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines with battery assistance in a hybrid system. Instead of conventional propellers, each ferry will be equipped with two azimuth thrusters at the stern and two bow thrusters, which will greatly improve manoeuvring in ports.
Each ferry will be 195.6m long and 32.2m wide. The ferry features 4100 lane metres and a maximum of 19 knots, being able to carry 400 passengers and 50 crew members.
The concept and technical design, and workshop documentation were prepared by the Remontowa Marine Design & Consulting office of the Remontowa Holding group in cooperation with the Client. Prior to the production phase, theoretical calculations and model tests of the vessel were carried out in the basin of the Maritime Advanced Research Centre in Gdansk, confirming basic parameters such as stability, hull shape, draught, deadweight, cargo line and speed, among others.
Remontowa has secured steel supplies and signed contracts for equipment, including power systems, engines and propellers, automation and control systems, heating and ventilation as well as ro-ro equipment (to enable loading and unloading). It has also obtained performance and payment guarantees and has entered into a line agreement with a consortium of banks for guarantees and letters of credit, securing supplies related to the project.
The hull will be manufactured, mounted and outfitted at Remontowa from sections constructed partly by subcontractors, with a block assembling technology developed at the shipyard, using docking infrastructure. Each ferry will consist of six hull blocks and seven superstructure blocks, which will be built of 265 separate sections in total. One hull will weigh 11,000 tonnes.
Remontowa Shiprepair Yard is the largest company of the Polish shipbuilding group Remontowa Holding, which has a vast track record in designing, building, converting and equipping low-emission vessels of various types, with gas and electric propulsion.
Photos: Sławomir Lewandowski / PortalMorski.pl
