Damen Shipyards Group has secured a newbuilding contract from the Ivory Coast for a series of sixteen shallow draught ferries.
The 18 metre vessels, which have been ordered by Societe de Transport Lagunaire (STL), will be built at Damen Shipyards Koźle in Poland.
The first four ferries will be delivered in January 2017 – the rest will be delivered four at a time, every eight weeks, in three batches thereafter.
Each powered by two Volvo D5 engines, the ferries will be able to transport up to 130 passengers at speeds of 10 knots.
One key design parameter concerned the vessels’ draught specifications: the vessels achieve these by having an air draught of 4 metres and a 1-metre water draught.
Damen said the contract represents part of a forward-thinking presidential plan that strives to reduce urban congestion and greenhouse gas emissions in the city Abidjan.
Known as the economic capital of the Ivory Coast, Abidjan is located around the 100-km long Ebrie Lagoon on the west coast of Africa and therefore water-based transport holds a vital position in everyday life in the area.
Furthermore, due to rapid population growth and the deterioration of existing ferry services, traffic congestion is a major problem in the city.
“This multiple vessel contract is part of the Ivory Coast’s government’s increased focus on urban infrastructure improvement,” said Damen.
“The presidential plan entails provision of cost effective and reliable public transport options for the growing urban population.”
Damen sales manager for Africa Jan van der Vorm commented: “Not only does this contract represent a new client for us, but it also involves a new vessel that we have designed specifically for this project.
“This is just the first phase of a much larger project, the scope of which extends to a total of 45 vessels by 2020. It is a project that we are extremely proud to be involved in.”
