Liberty Lines commissions its hybrid fast ferry Vittorio Morace

The ferry was built at Spanish shipyard Astilleros Armon

Italian shipping company Liberty Lines has commissioned its hybrid fast ferry Vittorio Morace built by Spanish shipyard Astilleros Armon.

As informed, the ceremony took place on June 27, 2024. The company noted that the ship is the ‘world’s first’ IMO high-speed craft (HSC) hybrid fast ferry of this size and has been classified as a “Green Plus” ship by the Italian classification society RINA.

The 39.5-meter-long ferry has a capacity of 251 passengers, reaches a speed of over 30 knots and is designed to reduce the impact of ship operations on the environment.

The vessel is powered by an mtu hybrid propulsion system developed by Rolls-Royce.

The battery-electric part of the drive is used for locally emission-free driving in the harbor area and as a booster. CO2 emissions are reduced by the mtu Series 4000 diesel engines which can also run on renewable diesel, according to Roll-Royce. The firm added that its use can lower the CO2 footprint by up to 90 per cent.

The new member of the fleet, named after the founder of the shipping company, is the first of nine ferries that will operate between Sicily and the neighboring Aeolian and Egadi islands as well as between the Italian mainland, Croatia and Slovenia.

A further eight Liberty Lines’ ferries with mtu hybrid systems will enter into service in Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.