The Sicilian company has also revealed that it is the second classified in the ranking just published by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport relating to Pnrr funding “in the field of state aid in favor of the climate, the environment and energy 2022”

Liberty Lines has recently increased its order to the Spanish shipyard Armon for the construction of new high-speed hybrid vessels going from 9 to 12 units.

The delivery of the vehicles is expected between 2023 and 2026”. This was announced by the same shipping company of the Morace family which closes 2022 with ‘year-end barrels’ in terms of new investments.

With these 12 innovative units, the company aims at a rapid renewal of its fleet in terms of efficiency and sustainability” adds the company, specifying that “the effectiveness of this plan is reflected in the ranking just published by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport relating to PNRR funding in the field of state aid in favor of the climate, the environment and energy 2022 in which liberty Lines ranks second in Italy”.

Gennaro Carlo Cotella,CEO of Liberty Lines, said: “We are proud of this recognition which is the result of a concrete commitment undertaken for some time by our company which continues to invest in the renewal of its fleet from a sustainable perspective to protect its territory and respecting the environment”.

Ferdinando Morace, Technical Director of Liberty Lines, added: “Thanks to the entry into the fleet of these new units, we will reduce C02 emissions by approximately 30% and NOx by approximately 80% compared to similar units currently in operation ”.

The first announcement of the Sicilian shipping line regarding the first nine units commissioned from the Spanish shipyard Armon dates back to last April and concerned 9 with an option up to another 9 hybrid fast ferries with delivery spread between 2023 and 2030.

In September it was then signed an agreement with Rolls Royce for the supply of engines equipped with hybrid technology that will allow fast ferries to move within ports in fully electric mode and then recharge their batteries while navigating in the open sea.

On the other hand Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG has received an order from the Spanish shipyard Armon to supply nine mtu solutions Hybrid Propulsion Packs for nine new ships of the leading Italian high-speed maritime passenger transport company, LIBERTY LINES. The contract was officially signed at SMM Hamburg

“With this project, we are making a sustainable investment in the renewal of our fleet, with the purpose to continue to offer high-quality services to our stakeholders and minimize environmental impact in order to achieve an emission-free future,” explained Gennaro Carlo Cotella, Chief Executive Officer at Liberty Lines. 

“We are very proud to have been awarded the contract to build these environmentally friendly high-speed vessels for Liberty Lines and thank Armon and Liberty Lines for their confidence in our expertise,” said Denise Kurtulus, Vice President Global Marine at Rolls-Royce Power Systems.

The concept for the fast ferries with sustainable hybrid propulsion systems has been developed in collaboration with Liberty Lines, Armon shipyard, the Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems, the Italian ship classification society RINA and the Australian shipbuilding design company Incat Crowther.

Sources : Shipping Italy + Another Sources