The Hitzler shipyard in Lauenburg has landed another contract. Having recently been commissioned to build a bunkering station, this time, it is building a car ferry powered by biogas – according to the shipyard, it is the first ferry of its kind in the world.
The small town of Bleckede on the Elbe in Lower Saxony is getting a new ferry. To reduce emissions, it will be powered by biogas. Hitzler Werft in Lauenburg has been awarded the contract to build the ship. The new vessel is to replace the current ferry “Amt Neuhaus”, which has been in service for over 30 years[ds_preview].
The new ferry will have 18 berths, compared to the previous nine. It will have a load capacity of 40 tons instead of the previous 16 tons and a draught of 60 cm.
Hitzler Werft is looking forward to an “exciting task”
A 300 kW electric motor will power the new ferry. The electricity for this will be generated using biomethane from regional agricultural waste. The shipyard intends to start building the new vessel immediately at an investment cost of around €6.8 million. The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs is supporting the innovative propulsion system with a grant of €669,000.
“We are delighted that with the construction of the new ferry ‘Amt Neuhaus’, we will once again be building a very innovative new ship in Lauenburg on the Elbe. The new type of propulsion with a biogas generator is also an exciting task for us,” commented Kai Klimenko, Managing Director of Hitzler Werft, on the new construction contract.
