Ostseestaal and Ampereship expand into the Italian market

E-ferries for Italy

Order for the construction of two electric passenger ferries for Lake Iseo

Stralsund, October 2023 - Stralsunder Ostseestaal GmbH & Co. KG has been commissioned by the local authority for the catchment area of Lake Iseo (Autorità di Bacino Lacuale dei Laghi d'Iseo, Endine e Moro), based in the Italian municipality of Sarnico (province of Bergamo), to build two electric solar ferries. A corresponding contract was signed recently. Designed as catamarans and measuring a good 26 metres in length, the new vessels are to be used in future on Lake Iseo in northern Italy, which lies between Lake Como and Lake Garda. Up to 140 people and six bicycles can be transported on board the emission-free vessels. They will travel on various lake routes, including to the island of Monte Isola. The solar ferries are being built by Ostseestaal and Ampereship.

„With the Iseo project, we have succeeded in entering the Italian market,“ emphasises Ingo Schillinger, Sales Manager at Ampereship. This is the second time that the Stralsund shipbuilders have been able to impress with their expertise in electrically powered inland waterway vessels in a Europe-wide tender and win a construction contract. Over the past two years, Ostseestaal has built and delivered three identical electric solar-powered passenger ferries for use on Lake Zurich in Switzerland. „There is a considerable need throughout Europe to replace the ageing fleet with new, emission-free and efficient inland waterway vessels,“ says Schillinger with a view to the international market.

The Iseo ferries each have two electric drives with an output of 100 kilowatts (kW). The electricity is supplied by two battery packs with a total capacity of approx. 800 kWh. These are charged by shore power and by solar modules while travelling. Three quarters of the roof area of the solar deck is covered with PV modules. These have a total output of approx. 11 kWp. The catamaran is designed for a service speed of 17 km/h, but can reach a top speed of 19 km/h. „The design incorporates a lot of knowledge and experience from our previous in-house developments,“ explains Dirk Zademack, the Business Unit Manager responsible at Ampereship.

The Stralsund-based companies Ostseestaal and Ampereship have so far built a total of 17 solar-powered vessels for various purposes. Construction of the Iseo ferry that has now been commissioned is scheduled to begin in early 2024. Delivery is scheduled for the end of next year.

Facts & figures about the Iseo ferry

Image sources:
Render images: Ostseestaal
Article: Ostseezeitung 18.10.2023 Hanseatic City of Stralsund