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The New Arranmore Ferry

The Arranmore Ferry team are delighted to share the news that we'll be adding a new ship to the Arranmore Ferry fleet. The new boat has been designed by our friends over at Marine Design and they've kindly provided us with a video and short message exploring the designs for the new ferry.

The New Arrranmore Ferry Architect Video

A Note From Our Architect

Following 15 years of being told by Seamus that he wants his boat on my Christmas cards the order has been placed for a new passenger and vehicle ferry for Arranmore. The two existing ferries, “Morvern” and “Canna” are Scottish Island Class ferries built in the 1970’s. The Morvern was rebuilt in 2010, lengthened in 2013 and certified to latest EU Class B certification at the time. The new vessel will develop on this knowledge to provide a vessel with greater safety, efficiency and capability in line with the SI640 of 2020 Irish Domestic Passenger Ship Standards.

The vessel is designed by Marine Design International Ltd, Glasgow, who have worked on the previous vessel refits and conversions for Arranmore and have hopefully grasped the driving factors required by what is one of the most scenic ferry routes in Ireland.

The capital investment is significant for a small business and build options were considered for many months to make the project viable. Nothing was ruled out from self-build to Turkey and Hong Kong but the successful yard is a small business on the Isle of Bute where Ewen Ferguson has many years’ experience servicing the Scottish ferries and building several similar scale landing craft.

The vessel itself is arranged, and has concept design, for hybrid electric propulsion

The vessel itself is arranged, and has concept design, for hybrid electric propulsion, deemed to be feasible in reducing emissions further when funds allow, MDI have previous built fully electric vessels and while the technology is proven it does not yet offer a financial break even so can only be implemented when suitable capital is available. The underwater hull is stretched as far as feasible under the applicable regulations to create the lowest resistance and structural design is optimised for weight efficiency while appreciating some of the rough conditions in which the vessel has to operate, both will reduce through life running costs and emissions.

Investing in new vessels is a big step for any owner but as well as offering a modern and comfortable experience for users it reduces maintenance and running costs so helps grow the business and industry in the long term. To make it happen requires the commitment and effort of a team, in this case Art Kavanagh assisted with the financial arrangements, the team at MDI developed what was possible to allow the business case to be developed, BV and MSO provided assistance on the certification options, Arranmore ferry with the operational considerations and the builder Ewen Ferguson on proven cost-effective engineering details. The team at Arranmore must also be acknowledged for their assistance in what has been a demanding development.

The keel will be laid late August 2022 for an ambitious launch summer of 2023. The new vessel will be an asset to the area and another step in developing tourism, business and lifeline services.

Simon Cormack

https://www.marinedesign.co.uk

If you have any questions about our current ships or timetables - you can check our Frequently Asked Questions or contact us directly.

For any press opportunties please reach out to us direectly and we can share further details and imagery by calling us on +353873171810.

Thanks,

Your Arranmore Ferry Team

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Designers: Simon Cormack, Marine Design International, simon@marinedesign.co.uk

Owners: Seamus Boyle, The Arranmore Ferry, seamus@thearranmoreferry.com

Builder: Ewen Ferguson, Bute Boatbuilding Co.

Finance Contracts: Art Kavanagh, artokavanagh@gmail.com

FERRYNEW2023