The new double ended ferry being built by Hamburg shipyard Pella Sietas, will be equipped with gas engines that will supply the two Voith Schneider propellers with 650 kW each input power drastically cutting down on nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions.
Long partnership
Voith has been equipping double-ended ferries on Lake Constance with VSPs ever since the early 1950s and the new vessel is the tenth ferry commissioned by the local municipality Stadtwerke Konstanz.
In the new double-ended ferry, two Voith Schneider propellers type VSP21GII/110-2 will provide efficient propulsion and effective steering.
Apart from some modifications to further improve vibration behaviour and efficiency, the VSPs are structurally identical to those of the three previous vessels. Thanks to an intelligent maintenance concept and the availability of a spare propeller, the municipality can replace a VSP within six hours and therefore keep downtimes for servicing to a minimum.
Lake Constance is regarded as a difficult inland waterway to navigate due to the risk of strong squalls when the weather changes suddenly. Maneouvring the entrance to the harbour in Meersburg is also challenging.
Due to these demanding conditions, Stadtwerke Konstanz as the ferry operator, has been relying on VSPs for a long time.
Thanks to their special design, the VSP generates thrust in any direction. This saves a considerable amount of time on the high-traffic route between Constance and Meersburg, where a ferry sets off every 15 minutes during peak periods.
By Anne-Marie Causer
