From Stralsund to northern Italy: travelling emission-free on Lake Iseo

Stralsund, February 2024 - Stralsunder Ostseestaal GmbH & Co. KG has been awarded the contract to build two electric solar ferries 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). The keel of the two ships was laid on 8 February. Designed as catamarans with a length of 26 metres, the newbuilds 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 fully electric, emission-free vessels. They will travel on various lake routes, including to the island of Monte Isola. The electric solar ferries will be manufactured by the Ampersehip business unit at Ostseestaal.

„With the Iseo project, we have opened the door to 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 on the other side of the Alps. Over the past two years, Ostseestaal has built and delivered three identical electric solar-powered passenger ships 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 ships,“ says Dirk Zademack, General Manager at Ampereship, 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 around 750 kWh. These are charged by shore power and by solar panels 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 catamarans are designed for a service speed of 17 km/h, but can reach a top speed of 19 km/h. „The design is particularly optimised for efficient final assembly on Lake Iseo and is based on the experience of our previous in-house developments,“ explains Dirk Zademack.

The Stralsund-based companies Ostseestaal and Ampereship have so far built a total of 17 solar-powered ships for various purposes. Delivery of the first Iseo ship is planned for the end of this year.

Facts & figures about the Iseo ferry