A modern take for Gozo Channel ferries | Alfred Buttigieg

Alfred Buttigieg

Ex-Malta Shipbuilding divisional manager

It is good news that the government announced it will be investing in the construction of the fourth and fifth Gozo ferry ships. It is 26 years since the first Gozo ferry was purposely built by Maltese workers and put in service. It was a privilege to have formed part of the team that built the MV Ta’ Pinu, the MV Gaudos and the MV Melita. The construction of the first ferry was completed in the Marsa dock at the ex-Malta Shipbuilding Co Ltd (MSCL) in December 1999. The first ferry, Ta’ Pinu, was put in service in March 2000 after the naming ceremony took place in the presence of then Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami. The MSCL workers, including myself, are proud of having built these three ships from scratch and are still operating after more than two decades.

The gained experience from building 16 vessels at the MSCL prompted me to share my thoughts on a 46-year career in the marine sector.

I suggest the government consider building the new ferries with one wheelhouse instead of two, similar to Norwegian ferries. The double navigational, electrical systems, and outfitting superstructure used for both wheelhouses will be reduced to one, which eventually decreases cost and thus reduces gas emissions.

The wheelhouse space could be utilised to accommodate batteries and solar panels. These eco-friendly measures are in use on other ships and evident on the scheduled RoRo ships entering the Grand Harbour. The energy-efficient system will eventually reduce emissions. The Ulstein four engines (or Rolls Royce) coupled with 1.575 kVA, 440V, 60Hz generators could be changed to a cleaner fuel such as LNG, methanol or hydrogen if the present marine technology is approved by the classification society. However, having an adequate storage infrastructure for these cleaner fuels is important.

The present capacity of the ferries allows for the carriage of up to 158 cars and 900 passengers. The demand for people crossing the two islands is increasing, so the capacity of the ferries must increase to ease the long queuing of cars especially during summertime. The increase/decrease of the dead weight tonnage (DWT) of the new ferries must also be considered. Accessibility for passengers with disabilities should increase to a minimum of two bigger lifts. The ventilation system in the car decks should be expanded from the current six points to cater for the discharge of exhaust. This is necessary when passengers with physical manoeuvring disability prefer to stay in their air-conditioned cars during the crossing of the islands.

The existing ferry ships have four 1MW azimuth thrusters to propel ensure manoeuvrability during berthing in bad sea conditions. But other configurations of propulsion systems could be explored. The power demand of the azimuth thrusters and other electrical motors could be reduced if an energy efficient hull is designed and soft starters are exploited. The government must also decide whether to opt for a different hull design.

These are just random thoughts gleaned from years of experience and which I hope could be useful in the design of the new ferries.