Havyard hits 100 vessel designs with hybrid Kyrstruten craft

Ship designer Havyard Design & Solutions has reached 100 vessel designs with an  LNG/battery hybrid passenger vessel for the Kystruten coastal route in Norway.

The design, which includes the vessel itself as well as the equipment package, has been produced for Havila Kystruten, who were awarded a tender by the Norwegian Government in March this year for four cruise ferries to operate on the route between Bergen and Kirkenes.

The company started out in 2005, with the first design sold being the Havyard 842 anchor handling tug supply. Another of the company’s early successes was the Havyard 832 platform supply vessel design, which became a workhorse of the North Sea.

The company also diversified into other sectors, including fisheries, aquaculture, offshore wind and in recent years, the ferry market.

As part of the Kystruten contract, Havyard and Sintef Ocean developed a simulation tool to test hull shapes and propulsion systems against the wave and wind conditions of Norway’s coastline, including all 34 ports along the Kystruten route. This tool was used to optimise the hull shape of the design.

Turkey’s Tersan and Spain’s Astillero Hijos de J Barreras will each build two of the LNG and battery-powered Kystruten vessels, which are scheduled to enter service in January 2021 on 10-year fixed contracts, as reported in sister publication Passenger Ship Technology.

Chief executive Geir Johan Bakke said “What kind of vessels we’ll be designing in five years' time is anyone’s guess, but I’m optimistic on behalf of Havyard Design & Solutions.

“We are now celebrating our hundredth design, but we’re going for 200!”