Aker to build LNG ferries

[Angelos]

Aker Yards has inked a EUR 45m ($64.8m) deal with Tide Sjo to build three LNG-powered ferries, the Norwegian shipyard company said today.

The ships will be built at Aker’s yard at Lorient, France, beginning in March and will be delivered to the Norwegian owner in the first half of 2009.

In July 2009, the 600-passenger ferries will begin travelling between Oslo and the Nesodden peninsula in Norway. Forde, Norway-based Multi Maritime designed the 49.9-metre-by-12.2-metre vessels.

"This is an important order for Aker Yards on the very active coastal ferries market where we are gaining position," Aker cruise and ferry president Juha Heikinheimo said in the announcement.

Oslo-based Aker recently delivered five LNG-fuelled ferries for Norway’s west coast, but the deal marks the first time the Lorient yard has built an LNG-powered vessel.

By Eric Martin of TradeWinds in Stamford