Damen launches all-electric ferry for Ontario

Written by Nick Blenkey
image description

Amherst Islander II is the first of two Damen Road Ferry E3 design vessels under construction for the Ministry of Transportation Ontario, Canada.

Damen’s Galati shipyard in Romania has launched the Amherst Islander II, the first of two Road Ferry E3 design vessels under construction for the Ministry of Transportation Ontario, Canada.

The E3 ferries will be the first passenger/car ferries in North America with the ability to operate fully on electric power and will reduce the amount of emissions by the equivalent of 7 million kg of carbon dioxide each year.

The Amherst Islander II is part of a two vessel order that Damen will deliver to the Ministry of Transportation Ontario. The E3 ferries will be the first passenger/car ferries in North America with the ability to operate fully electric and will reduce the amount of emissions by the equivalent of 7 million kg of carbon dioxide each year.

With an overall length of close to 72 meters and a loading capacity of up to 42 cars, the 6819 E3 design Amherst Islander II is the smaller of the two. The larger, 99 meter, 9819 E3 design Wolfe Islander IV, is currently under construction in the dry docks and will be launched mid-2020.

Damen sales manager Leo Postma said, “Successfully achieving this important milestone in a complex project like this can only be achieved in close cooperation between the client and the shipyard. We are truly proud to be working on these future-proof vessels, and are eagerly looking forward to seeing this vessel arrive in Ontario, Canada.”

Both ferries will operate solely on the Lake Ontario, between Amherst Island and Wolfe Island.

Categories: Ferries, News Tags: , , ,