PHOTO Courtesy of Autoreveolution.com
Two islands in Lake Ontario, Amherst and Wolfe islands, will both have brand-new fully electric car ferries in service for next season, the first of their kind to sail in North America.
Built by the Romanian shipyard Damen Shipyards Galati, the Amherst Islander II and Wolfe Islander IV will begin service in Spring 2022 on Wolfe Island, near Kingston, Ontario, and the entrance of the St. Lawrence River, and on Amherst Island, just west of Wolfe Island.
The open-deck ships are zero-emission and are equipped to be fully electric, but also have a twin diesel generator installed to allow hybrid and full diesel propulsion for maximum redundancy. The ferry docks will also be rebuilt to accommodate the charging systems for the electric vessels. The new ferries will offer extra capacity for passengers and will make the crossings faster and greener.
“This integrated project is the first of its kind and one that we hope will demonstrate that fully electric ferries of this size are a viable proposition,” says Leo Postma, Damen sales director.
For more information, visit damen.com.
