The Future Island Ferries are Here
SP Fire Technology has in a Swedish-Danish consortium developed a detailed process to build environmentally friendly and fire safe island ferries in fiber reinforced polymer composite. Authorities, the public and customers are increasingly demanding sustainable designs. Shipping may be the most environmentally friendly means of transportation but the industry still has great potential to reduce its impact. A lightweight ship construction can generate large ecological and economic benefits as the ship weight is strongly associated with the use of fossil fuels.
Collaboration Fuels Environmental Ferry Development
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden has long been engaged in research aimed at energy efficient vessels by increased use of lightweight shipbuilding materials. A major step forward was a recently completed concept development project where SP Fire Technology conducted life-cycle cost analysis and a comprehensive fire risk assessment for a car ferry in carbon fiber composite. The research project was performed within a Swedish-Danish-Norwegian cooperation MARKIS and received additional funding from SP and the Danish Maritime Fund.
