BMT Introduces New Water Taxi Designs

BMT has introduced new vessel designs in response to a tender issued by Hong Kong’s Transport Department.

Addressing a need to support the development of domestic passenger ferry services in Hong Kong, the new hybrid Eco Ferry and a smaller, nimble 14 passenger harbor craft have been designed for on-demand and ad-hoc trips, both of which could enable passengers to experience faster, smoother, and more fuel-efficient transits across Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor.

Richard Colwill, Regional Managing Director at BMT, said, “By introducing BMT’s new vessel designs we wish to demonstrate the opportunities to introduce more flexible and sustainable marine transport infrastructure – into the center of our city.”

One example, the new hybrid Eco Ferry vessel design, is a low cost and sustainable 31m, 20 knot design, that has been proposed by BMT to serve traditional routes with typically higher passenger peak flows. The second design is a small-scale but highly flexible craft, styled in a manner reflecting the city’s Star Ferry that is geared toward commuter flexibility and tourist experience, as well as supporting increased connectivity and linkage around the harbor's edge.

Colwill added, “Recent studies for customers of potential ferry routes suggest the ‘Eco Ferry’ hybrid propulsion allows the engines to be switched off for over 50 per cent of the time so that’s a huge saving on fuel consumption, engine hours and maintenance – not to mention the removal of emissions: particularly as ferries arrive, loiter and leave piers.”

The vessels build on BMT's track record of river and harbor tourist and commuter vessels that have been built for a diverse range of markets and environments, including Rotterdam Waterbus, New Orleans Ferries, New York Water Taxi and Washington State Water Taxi.