Gridin’s Group has successfully completed a cooperation project with Holland Shipyards Hardinxveld on a shipyard in the Netherlands – assembly of the hull 32 m long and 8 m wide for the first hybrid ferry Gaarden, which will run in Kiel as a part of a new German environmental program.
This is a next-generation ferry – it is all-electric and meets environmental requirements. 20 solar panels located on the roof of the ferry provide the required amount of energy supply. The ferry is equipped with a modern automated mooring system, which can be easily managed from the wheelhouse by one person only and which needs no engine for mooring. It will have 140-passenger and 60-bicycles capacity. It is expected that the ferry will start to run as early as the end of 2020.
“We were in charge of assembly and welding of the entire hull. We are pleased to know that experts praised the quality of our work, – Project Manager Vytautas Indzelis said. – A challenge was posed by the design of the hull, which had to be made of thin steel of mere 5-8 mm. This required a constant monitoring of conformity of welding works with the required specifications to avoid even the slightest deviations. Hull assembly also required best efforts and dexterity in order to make it nice and straight.”
“This is a unique and promising project, which requires a great responsibility, – Gridin‘s Group LT Director Lina Ambrazaitienė stated. – It is obvious that the shipbuilding sector has entered a new era, which sets new requirements and allows receiving an indispensable experience that enables us to gain a foothold in the ever-evolving market of shipbuilding and ship repair and navigate it. We can see and feel those changes, and such each new experience builds up our confidence, empowers and emboldens us to move forward.”
