Rolls-Royce has secured a deal from Germany's Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS) Shipping Group to provide four 16-cylinder MTU Series 4000 engines and four Kamewa S71 waterjets for a new high-speed ferry. 

The 56m long aluminium catamaran will be built by Australian shipyard Austal and is scheduled to enter service by next year.

It is set to replace FRS Helgoline’s Halunder Jet vessel upon completion, and will be deployed along the Hamburg-Wedel-Cuxhaven-Helgoland route in Germany.

Halunder Jet is also powered by MTU’s Series 4000, 2000 and 396 engines and is currently operating a daily shuttle service from Hamburg to Helgoland.

Förde Reederei Seetouristik CEO Jan Kruse said: “We made a conscious decision in favour of the Ironmen from MTU.

“We were very impressed by the extended maintenance intervals, combined with what is nevertheless an excellent power to weight ratio and the low fuel consumption.

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“The MTU engines were thus the right choice for us, but their dynamic acceleration behaviour was also a key factor, of course.”

"We were very impressed by the engines’ extended maintenance intervals, combined with what is nevertheless an excellent power to weight ratio and the low fuel consumption."

FRS’s new ferry will feature various innovative technologies, including an optimised hull form designed to minimise both fuel consumption and wake wash.

The twin-hulled vessel will possess the ability to travel at speeds of up to 35k, and will be able to carry approximately 692 passengers on each crossing.

It is also expected to increase the daily capacity on the Hamburg-Helgoland catamaran line by 20% compared with the Halunder Jet currently in operation.

Rolls-Royce was also selected to provide two of its MTU Series engines Kamewa S71-4 waterjets in November as part of a separate agreement, which will be used for a new fast ferry to be operated by Zhuhai High-Speed Passenger Ferry.


Image: Rendering of Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS) Shipping Group’s newhigh-speed ferry. Photo: courtesy of Rolls-Royce plc.