Risk assessment of a battery-powered high-speed ferry using formal safety assessment

Fully electric ships have been widely developed, investigated and evaluated by the maritime industry as a potential solution to respond to the emissions control required according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This study aims at presenting a novel approach to evaluate the safety level of a battery-powered high speed catamaran. Following the Formal Safety Assessment procedure, the risk assessment of the considered ship was conducted leading to the identification of the involved hazards along with the estimation of their frequency and consequences thus allowing for the identification of the most severe hazards. Fault tree analysis is carried out for and the identified top events followed by an event tree analysis to estimate the risk and safety level of the vessel. Furthermore, a cost-benefit assessment is conducted to evaluate the financial impact of selected risk control options. The derived results indicate that the application of battery power systems for high speed ferries exhibits low and acceptable accident frequencies. It is also supported the current regulation to carry out mandatory risk assessment for battery-powered ships

TrAM - Transport : advanced and modular

Europe has taken a leading role in the international effort for a drastic reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Transport systems play a crucial role in this effort and the competition among the various transportation modes for the shrinkage of their environmental footprint, is mounting. Maintaining its focus on sustainability, Europe is seeking to produce transport solutions with a cost effective and environmentally friendly life cycle, integrated in its smart cities. This is what the H2020 funded project "TrAM-Transport: Advanced and Modular" aims to offer (https://tramproject.eu/). It is validating a concept for waterborne transport by implementing state-of-the-art "Industry 4.0" holistic ship design and production methods, for fully electrical vessels, operating at reasonably high speed in the vicinity of urban areas. The project will lead to significant lower construction costs and reduction in engineering hours for new zero emission fast vessels. Three different catamarans will be designed by implementing the developed methods, while one of them will be undergoing detailed design and physical model testing, prior to its construction and start of operation in Stavanger/Norway before the end of the TrAM project in 2022. The paper outlines the objectives, first R&D outcomes and the main challenges of the project

Medstraum : design and operation of the first zero-emission fast catamaran

The paper deals with the design, construction and the early operation of the worldwide 1 st battery driven high-speed catamaran passenger ferry MS Medstraum. The paper elaborates on unique issues of the design process, on the superior hydrodynamic performance, on the modular construction of vessel and on the land-based electrical/charging installation. MS Medstraum was built by Fjellstrand AS and was launched in early June 2022. After successful sea trials that superseded the expectations of designers, builders and operators, achieving a maximum speed of over 27 knots, it started operations in the Stavanger/Norway area in late September 2022. The prototype character of MS Medstraum led to its selection as “Ship of the Year 2022” at the major international maritime exhibition SMM 2022 (September 2022, Hamburg). The presented research is in the frame of the H2020 funded project “TrAM – Transport: Advanced and Modular” (www.tramproject.eu)

Implementation of zero emission fast shortsea shipping and design of the Stavanger demonstrator

The paper describes the implementation of state-of-the-art “Industry 4.0” methods and tools, of a holistic ship design optimization and of modular production methods, as well as of advanced battery technologies in the development of an innovative, fully electrical, fast zero-emission catamaran for waterborne urban transport. The design of a fast catamaran passenger ferry prototype (Medstraum), planned for operation as a waterborne shuttle in the Stavanger/Norway area, and of a replicator for operation at the Thames River/London are elaborated, including on land infrastructural issues that are necessary for their operation. The presented research is in the frame of the H2020 funded project “TrAM—Transport: Advanced andModular” (www.tramproject.eu)