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Imtech Marine won a contract to sup- ply the hybrid propulsion system, con- sisting of diesel electric in combinationwith battery technology to the world?s first diesel electric, hybrid seagoing fer- ries. Owned by Scottish company Cale- donian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), the two vehicle and passenger RoRo ferries will be built by Ferguson Shipbuilders of Glasgow. The vessels will be powered by diesel generator sets, feeding power to a 400 Volt switchboard, which will supply power to permanent magnet propulsion motors. Innovative green technology supplied by ImtechMarine includes two lithium battery banks of approximately 700kWh, reduc-ing fuel and CO2 consumption by at least20%. The ferries will be operated by Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services, Cal-Mac Ferries, and will be designed for themany short routes around the Clyde and Hebrides. With a service speed of nine knots, the hybrid ferries will be able to accommodate 150 passengers, 23 cars ortwo HGVs. The vessel design and power configu- ration additionally realizes 19-24% sav- ings of power input to the propulsion units over a conventional diesel mechan- ical solution. When in port, the ships will completely switch off the propulsion and switch to batteries and ultimately shoreconnection, which will result in signifi- cant cost savings and further reduction of the carbon footprint. Next to a substan- tial reduction in fuel consumption andCO2 emissions, noise levels will also be reduced. The ferries will charge overnight and in the future the CMAL aims to use energy from wind, wave or solar systems for charging the batteries, making the vessels even more environ- mentally friendly. The ferries will un- dergo a week of sea trials and this will be followed by an additional 21 days to test the vessels on all of the routes operated by CMAL. The first vessel is expected to be deliv- ered in the summer of 2013 and the sec-ond a month later. ImtechHybrid Propulsion System for Ferries January 2012www.marinelink.com 31Volvo Penta IPS Power in Russian Pilot BoatsRussian state owned company Ros- morport ordered six 14m pilot boatspowered by Volvo Penta´s Inboard Per- formace System (IPS) drive system. Volvo Penta launched its IPS six years. With forward facing propellers and steerable drive units, IPS is designed to deliver improved performance, reduced fuel consumption and increased on-board comfort. The semi-planing Ros- morport pilot boats will be equippedwith twin IPS450 packages with slow propellers providing maximum speed of 22 knots. The pilot boats are de- signed by MT-Shipbuilding and will be built by Moscow Shipbuilding & Shiprepair yard. The majority of the boats will be located in Azov and Black Sea area of Russia providing pilot serv- ice in river deltas. MR Jan.12 # 4 (26-33):MR Template 1/9/2012 4:17 PM Page 31