GORINCHEM XII proclaimed “SHIP OF THE YEAR 2024”

November 4, at Studio 21 in Hilversum during the Maritime Awards Gala, the ferry GORINCHEM XII was declared the winner of the “Ship of the Year Award 2024” (formerly KNVTS Ship of the Year Award). The GORINCHEM XII is an innovative and very lightly constructed ferry, built by Holland Shipyards of Hardinxveld-Giessendam.

Innovative solutions

The Gorinchem XII is a super light emission-free ferry developed for the municipality of Gorinchem. The ship can transport 100 people and 100 bicycles with low energy consumption and can be operated by only 1 person. Together with the charging system and the new landfall traps in the harbors for all water levels, a total transport system has been delivered.

CoCo Yachts designed the vessel and started monitoring and studying the energy consumption of the old vessels. The outcome an extremely light double ended catamaran with azimuthing thrusters. Due also to the traps and improved approach route in the ports, the maneuvering time can be reduced. As a result, the service speed and thus the energy consumption can be reduced.

The very lightweight construction of the catamaran has been implemented in every detail. Functionality versus weight was considered for all parts on board. This allowed an extremely light ship to be realized, resulting in minimal resistance through the water. Very thin aluminum plates were chosen, with plate thicknesses of 4 – 5 mm for the hull skin and 2 – 2.5 mm for deck and superstructure.

This innovative design set a new standard. By considering not only the ship, but also the ports, docking routes, operational speed and balanced propulsion, a very low energy consumption has been achieved. The ship and operation were optimized together, resulting in a total transport system with minimal energy consumption and maximum functionality.