Aluminium catamaran developed as part of Worldwide Ferry Safety Association competition
By
Rebecca Gibson |
A team from the University of Liege in Belgium has won a Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) competition to design a safe and affordable passengers ferry for the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand.
Students from nine institutions submitted designs for the 200-passenger ferry, which had to be safe, appropriate for Chao Phraya River and affordable to build and operate in the long-term.
“Urban linear ferries like Bangkok and New York are in growth mode everywhere,” said Roberta Weisbrod, executive director of the WFSA. “The students have garnered useful experience, especially the awardees, in designing for a growing market. The extra value to the industry are some interesting and useful approaches by the student teams.”
Syed Marzan Ul Hasan, a student on the University of Liege EMShip programme, designed the winning aluminium catamaran, which has low exhaust emissions, minimal water discharges and a low water wake.
Key features include a raised navigation room with night-vision and advanced signalling technology to ensure the vessel can be operated safely during the day and at night. The ferry’s mast can be retracted quickly to allow it to comply with the air draft restrictions on its intended route, which has multiple low bridges.
Fire safety is covered by fire insulation in machinery spaces, fire hoses, audible-visual alarms, and emergency pumps and generators that can be used in the event of an emergency. There is also a free space at the aft of the ferry, which can be used as a marshalling and rescue area during an emergency.
Passengers can embark and disembark quickly and safely via foldable ramps. Long-haul passengers and tourists can sit at the front of the ferry to get the best views, while short-distance commuters can sit at the back near the access points. Seating for the elderly, disabled, pregnant women and families with small children and pushchairs is also located near to the doorways.
Second place went to a team from the Webb Institute in Glen Cove, New York, which consisted of students Andrew Vogeler, Brandon Louis and Nicholas De Sherbinin, and their advisor Dean Matthew Werner.
To achieve operational efficiency, the team designed the mechanical, fuel oil, electrical power, steering control, firemain and carbon dioxide fire suppression systems to be operated by one of two machinery spaces in the ship’s demi-hulls. The team also added a raised pilot house to increase overall visibility for navigation, and a mid-ship loading station to allow the ferry to be docked at the existing piers on Chao Phraya River. The transverse offset of the propellers was implemented to make the vessel more manoeuvrable at low speeds.
Meanwhile, the hull is made from uniplanar curves and the ferry has a simple interior design to reduce manufacturing costs. To ensure passenger safety, the team designed easy-to-open/removable windows that could serve as an emergency escape route.
Third place went to the team from Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur, which included Saurav Agarwal, Harshdeep Singh and Rishank Kumar.
To make the ferry efficient and environmentally sustainable, the team designed a bulbous bow and optimised double hull shape, as well as a rooftop solar panel for generating electric power. The vessel also had simplified access to machinery space to make maintenance easier. Safety features included a smoke detection and fire suppression systems, and a solution to detect leaks in the hull.
WFSA will present the awards on 11 May at its annual Ferry Safety & Technology Conference in New York.