Izar And Rolls-Royce Plan High Speed Cargo Vessel

Spanish shipbuilder and designer IZAR and Rolls-Royce announced plans for a new European High Speed Cargo Vessel which is intended to be a cost-effective short-sea shipping alternative to road transport in Europe. The monohull EHSCV is powered by two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines and Rolls-Royce Kamewa waterjets. The baseline design enables 124 trailers to be carried at a service speed of 37 knots and is intended to be economically competitive with road transport on routes above 300 nautical miles. The design meets the needs of ship owners wishing to develop fleet plans in line with the European Union's Marco Polo program, which is designed to give financial support to projects which improve the environmental performance of Europe's freight transport system. Subsidies, in the form of start-up aid, are intended to be available for projects involving two or more member states. The aid can be additional to member state support. The MT30 boasts a power rating of 36MW and has 80 percent commonality with the Trent 800 aero engine which has completed more than two million flying hours since it entered service in 1996. Jose Ramon Lopez, IZAR Director for Innovation, said: "We believe there is a strong market for this ship, which offers a cost-effective solution to an urgent European transport issue." Saul Lanyado, Rolls-Royce President - Marine, said: "The MT30 brings leading-edge, proven, aero gas turbine technology to the marine marketplace. Its modular construction combines reliability with maintainability."