Foreship, the naval architecture and marine engineering company of RINA, has unveiled a new ferry concept designed specifically to address the operational and economic demands of Greece’s domestic ferry sector, focusing on improved efficiency, simplified design and cost-effective operations.
Greece’s ferry network is one of the most extensive in Europe, connecting more than 200 inhabited islands and transporting around 50 million passengers annually. At the same time, operators are working within a highly constrained environment, shaped by strong seasonality, regulated pricing and increasing pressure on operating costs, alongside the need to renew an ageing fleet.
Ari Huttunen, Marine Design & Engineering Projects Principal Consultant at Foreship, said, “This new vessel concept has been developed in response to the specific challenges of the Greek market, with a focus on optimising both capital and operating expenditure. The design integrates all essential functionalities for safe and reliable operations, while avoiding unnecessary complexity, resulting in a robust and economically sustainable vessel.”
A central element of the concept is the operating profile. While speed has traditionally been a defining factor in the Greek ferry sector, the new design is optimised for more moderate speeds, enabling a significant improvement in fuel efficiency and overall operating economics.
The vessel has also been conceived in line with the latest regulatory developments, including updated stability requirements that are reshaping ferry design across Europe and influencing aspects such as dimensions and passenger capacity. These changes have been taken into account from the early design stages, ensuring the concept remains aligned with the evolving framework.
By shaping design choices in the realities of the Greek ferry sector, including cost sensitivity, operational intensity during peak periods and the need for reliable, straightforward vessels, the concept provides a practical reference point for future fleet renewal.
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