Tonight, 4 November, at Studio 21 in Hilversum during the Maritime Awards Gala, the ferry Gorinchem XII was declared the winner of the Ship of the Year Award 2024 (formerly KNVTS Ship of the Year Award). The Gorinchem XII is an innovative and lightweight ferry, built by Holland Shipyards from Hardinxveld-Giessendam.
The Gorinchem XII is a super lightweight emission-free ferry developed for the municipality of Gorinchem. The vessel can transport 100 people and 100 bicycles with low energy consumption and can be operated by just one person. Together with the charging system and the new landing pier in the ports for all water levels, a total transport system has been delivered.
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67-minute roundtrip including charging
CoCo Yachts designed the ship and started with monitoring and studying the energy consumption of the old vessels. The outcome is an extremely light double ended catamaran with azimuthing thrusters. Due to the landing pier and improved approach routes in ports, manoeuvring time has been reduced. As a result, the service speed can be reduced and with it energy consumption.
The hull shape has been optimised with computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The effect of shallow water on resistance was also included in the analysis. Two contrarotating thrusters are installed for good manoeuvrability and minimal weight. The speed is optimised for minimum energy consumption, resulting in a 67-minute sailing time per roundtrip including charging.
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Light construction in every detail
The catamaran’s light construction has been carried out in every detail. All components on board were examined in terms of functionality versus weight. This made it possible to realise an extremely light ship, resulting in minimal resistance through the water. Very thin aluminium plates were chosen, with plate thicknesses of 4 to 5 mm for the hull and 2 to 2.5 mm for deck and superstructure.
The High Speed Code rules have been applied and supplemented with FEM calculations to get the most out of the weight savings. Similar choices regarding minimum weight have also been made for the furniture and other equipment on board.
Setting a new standard
This innovative design has set a new standard. By considering not only the ship, but also the ports, docking routes, operational speed and balanced propulsion, very low energy consumption has been achieved. The ship and operation were optimised together, resulting in a total transport system with minimal energy consumption and maximum functionality.
No paint has been applied to the ship. From experience from previous ships, no anti-fouling has been applied and cleaning the underwater hull every one to two years is sufficient. This ensures a minimalist yet functional outfitting of the ship.
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Other nominees
In total, three ships were nominated for the award. These were water injection dredger Rijn, built by Kooiman Shipyard for Van Oord and sailing super yacht Sarissa, designed and built by Royal Huisman.
The Ship of the Year Award (formerly KNVTS Ship of the Year Award) is characterised by a broad recognition of the Dutch maritime innovative strength when it comes to sailing equipment. Central to the assessment is the question: To what extent do design, technology, safety, construction and economic significance come together in one innovative ship? This ship represents the top of the Dutch maritime sector. To be nominated, the ship must have been designed and largely have been completed in the Netherlands.
Picture (top): Holland Shipyards receives the Ship of the Year Award for the Gorinchem XII during the Maritime Awards Gala (photo KNVTS).
