Saltings Marine Works, the last shipbuilder still operating on the Wrenhaven waterfront, has won a contract to build three battery-electric ferries for the city's harbour crossing. The order, placed by Bay Ferries after an open tender, is the largest the yard has received in more than twenty years.
The 32-metre vessels will each carry up to 250 passengers and 40 bicycles on the eight-minute crossing between Old Quay and the Saltings. They will recharge for around six minutes at each end of the route from shore-side chargers, which the harbour authority will install over the next two years. The existing diesel ferries, the oldest of which entered service in 1991, will be retired as the new boats arrive.
Yard director Callum Strachan said the contract would secure the jobs of its 160 workers and allow it to take on 35 apprentices. "We have built fishing boats, pilot launches and workboats, but nothing of this size for a long time," he said. "Winning this against yards with far bigger order books shows what this place can still do."
Quieter crossings
Bay Ferries says the switch will remove around 1,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year and make the crossing noticeably quieter for passengers and people living along the water. Operations manager Leah Okafor said the boats had been designed with wider doors and level boarding to speed up loading, which should allow a service every ten minutes at peak times instead of every fifteen.
Passengers will notice it straight away. No rumble, no fumes on the car deck, and a boat that turns up more often.
The hulls will be built in aluminium in the yard's covered hall, while the batteries and electric drives will be supplied by a specialist firm from Ostbridge. The first ferry is due to be launched in late 2027, with the other two following at six-month intervals. Bay Ferries says fares will not rise as a result of the new fleet.