Trial Evacuation Conducted on New Polish Ro-Pax Ferry
On Tuesday, May 13, a trial evacuation exercise was conducted on the first Ro-Pax type ferry being built at the Gdańsk “Remontowa” J. Piłsudski Shipyard S.A. for the Polish Ferries company. The exercise focused on testing the organization and conditions of passenger evacuation. Thirty people from the shipyard participated in the trials, along with representatives from the shipowner – Polish Maritime Navigation.
“The purpose of the exercise was to test the ship’s evacuation system, verify the MES system, and confirm its functionality on this prototype vessel, which is RO-PAX NB101,” says Tomasz Małż, Head of the Testing and Delivery Trials Team at Gdańsk “Remontowa” Shipyard, who coordinated the evacuation.
The tests utilized a vertical evacuation system with an inflatable life raft positioned on the water. All “passengers” were efficiently evacuated to the raft within minutes and subsequently transported to shore by boat.
The ferry, designated as build number 101, is equipped with six such rafts of three different capacities (for 150, 100, and 50 people), with three on each side of the vessel. Tuesday’s test employed rafts with capacities for 150 and 50 people. Following the completion of the MES (Marine Evacuation System) tests, the raft was deflated and will be sent to the Norwegian manufacturer for recertification.
The first steel cutting for the construction of this first Ro-Pax ferry began in October 2022, and the vessel was launched a year later in October 2023.
Under a contract signed on November 26, 2021, the shipyard is building three vessels for Polish Ferries, a state-owned company. Two of the vessels will operate under Unity Line, a subsidiary of Polish Maritime Navigation, while one will be used by PŻB. The agreement includes a letter of intent containing an option to build a fourth ferry.
In December 2024, the second ferry, NB102, was launched, built using the same technology as the first vessel.
These will be among the most modern vessels of their kind in the Baltic Sea, powered by four liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines with battery support in a hybrid arrangement. Instead of conventional propellers, each ferry will be equipped with two azimuth thrusters at the stern and two bow thrusters at the bow, which will significantly improve maneuverability in ports.
Each ferry will measure 195.6 meters in length and 32.2 meters in width. The cargo line length is 4,100 meters, and the maximum speed will be 19 knots. The ferry will be able to accommodate 400 passengers, with a crew of 50 people.
The conceptual design, project documentation, and executive documentation were prepared by Remontowa Marine Design and Consulting from the Remontowa Holding group in cooperation with the Client. Before proceeding to the production phase, theoretical calculations and model tests of the ship were conducted in the pool of the Ship Design and Research Center, confirming basic parameters such as stability, hull shape, draft, deadweight, cargo line length, and speed.
Photos: Slawomir Lewandowski / PortalMorski.pl
