Even as Derecktor Shipyards nears completion in Bridgeport of its first “hybrid” ferry that uses hydrogen fuel cells, company representatives were at a New Orleans trade show where the buzz centered on new power and propulsion technologies for ships ”“ possibly including those that could be powered with liquefied natural gas.
Attendance was up 5 percent at the 2010 International Work Boat Show, the largest commercial marine conference in the United States, with Derecktor”™s vice president of business development, Gavin Higgins, was among those in attendance. Uncertainty remains about when spending will resume in the industry, but it appears certain shipyards like Derecktor could be launching radical new designs to improve performance.
“The increase in fuel costs has caused fairly dramatic changes in the types of vessels people want to build,” Higgins said.
That is already being manifested in the New York Hornblower Hybrid ferry Derecktor is scheduled to complete this April in Bridgeport, under contract with Hornblower Cruises & Events. Powered by fuel cells supplemented by solar panels and wind turbines, with a pair of diesel engines kicking in when needed, the vessel will ferry tourists to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island from Battery Park in New York and Liberty State Park in New Jersey. The ferry is built to carry as many as 600 passengers, with features including an outdoor sundeck and an interior deck with glass walls to showcase the harbor”™s landmarks and vistas.
The boat is being built with a number of materials to reduce its environmental impact, including countertops and carpeting made from recycled materials; and paints mixed from low volatile organic compounds.
“Our goal is to reduce emissions to the greatest extent possible, with a goal in the future to eliminate them entirely during a cruising day,” said Terry MacRae, CEO of Statue Cruises and Hornblower Cruises & Events, in a prepared statement. “The technology on the Hornblower Hybrid is now scalable for other hybrid ferries, hybrid yachts and even hybrid tugs.”
The New York ferry follows in the wake of the 2008 launch of the San Francisco Hornblower Hybrid, which the company says was the first hybrid ferry in the United States.
New York City is now considering replacement ships for its older Staten Island Ferry vessels; a Wisconsin shipyard built the three newest vessels, including one whose keel includes steel from the World Trade Center towers; in 1986 Derecktor completed the John A. Noble, which carries nearly 1,300 passengers.
Derecktor is fresh off the August launch of Cakewalk, billed as the largest luxury yacht ever built in the United States as measured by total volume. The ship is 281 feet long, has six decks, and a crew of two dozen.
Following its launch and a few weeks of sea trials, Cakewalk”™s owners promptly motored the ship to Florida to debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October.
At the International WorkBoat Show, the intersection of fuel and propulsion was a hot topic for both privately owned yachts and commercial vessels, including whether liquefied natural gas could in time be used to power ships in place of diesel; and the use of onboard lithium batteries instead of traditional batteries.
Last summer, a company called Sauter Offset Carbon Design released a concept for a zero carbon emissions super yacht, and is now working up a similar environmentally friendly tanker ”“ of all things ”“ with a deck plastered with solar panels and featuring a half-dozen towering solar “sails” as well.
For a Norwegian company, meanwhile, Rolls-Royce is designing a double-ended car ferry designed to generate additional thrust from the energy latent in the turbulent water spun out of its bow-mounted “puller” propellers.
