Design and Feasibility of a 30- To 40-Knot Emission-Free Ferry

More Info
expand_more

Abstract

Internal combustion engine (ICE) emissions cause numerous social, environmental, health, and economic issues, including extreme weather or harm to public health. These effects are also experienced in the Chinese Pearl River Delta, where a high-speed, 200-passenger ferry named the Coastal Cruiser 200 (CC-200) uses ICEs to operate. The CC-200's designer, CoCo Yachts, is interested in the technical and economic feasibility of a zero-emission CC-200 variant to negate its contribution to the total ICE emissions. Investigating this interest is this study's purpose, as no currently-operating zero-emission ferries were identified that, at minimum, sail at 30 knots and carry 200 passengers. To reach the study's conclusions, primary and secondary quantitative data were collected, analyzed, and integrated into a parametric model developed to assess the ferry's technical feasibility. Moreover, this data were used to perform an economic assessment. Results showed that a 200-passenger, 30- to 40-knot, emission-free ferry is technically feasible and may or may not be economically feasible when implementing a battery-, compressed hydrogen-, or liquid hydrogen energy carrier system, hydrofoils, and all identified weight-saving measures. It was concluded that for these configurations, the 30-knot, battery-powered hydrofoil ferry has the highest likelihood of being both technically and economically feasible.