¢500,000 Revamp for Hamburg Ferry

The 27.7m long and 6.45m wide ferry is part of a fleet of about 19 vessels run by Hamburg’s HADAG. It is being widened by 1.3m to 7.75m to improve stability in compliance with the latest safety requirements and to increase passenger capacity from 210 to 250.

The vessel will be slightly longer at 28m after conversion because of receiving a new bow.

Widening was being carried out after two longitudinal cuts, one on either side of the engine block, and two new inserts. In what appeared to amount to a virtual rebuild, Hadag told MJ bow and stern passenger accommodation was also renovated, made larger and equipment was being brought up to the standard of HADAG’s other modern ferries. The stern was being rebuilt and the superstructure replaced with aluminium. The boarding entrance was also being revamped and the gangways renewed and widened to 1.8m.

Prior to conversion, Wolfgang Borchert drew 1.6m and had a speed of 11 knots. There was no indication that the Volvo Penta D25A MS 440 kW main engine was being changed. It is only four years since that unit replaced the ferry’s original Deutz/MWM TBD 604 BL6 engine.

The conversion at the SSB Spezialschiffbau facility in Oortkaten was taking 12 weeks. HADAG spokeswoman Ilona Schnackenberg told MJ that the vessel would be returned at the end of May or early in June.

If the work on the Wolfgang Borchert proves successful, HADAG will reportedly order the same job on sister vessel Falkenstein.At the same time, HADAG has said it was due to order another Type 2000 newbuilding. By Tom Todd