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The new gas-powered ferry Edøyfjord [pictured] has been delivered to its client in Western Norway. The vessel will serve the Edøya-Sandvika route to Smøla in Nordmøre County.

The Edøyfjord was built by joint venture firm Fiskerstrand BLRT for the transport company Fjord1. The ship was designed by another joint venture business, Multi Maritime, based in Førde, Norway. The hull and pre-outfitting works were manufactured at Western Baltija Shipbuilding in Klaipeda, Lithuania, and final outfitting, testing and finalizing was carried out by Fiskerstrand Verft AS in Ålesund, Norway.

"The new ferry is another proof that our holding is able to build eco-friendly vessels - from design development and preparation of documentation to turn-key ship building," said the head of the board Fjodor Berman.

"Market trends suggest that the future lies with such ferries. I hope that in the near future the necessary infrastructure will develop in Baltic States as well and we will be given an opportunity to build such ferries for Estonia as well," he added.

The ferry has a total length of 66,4 metres a maximum width of 13,6 metres and a capacity of 50 cars or 4 heavy goods vehicles in combination with passenger cars.

The Edøyfjord holds a total of 146 passengers, including staff, and has been built according to Det Norske Veritas's Class, with a gross tonnage of 1634.

The ship has two Caterpillar motors, each of which drives its Schottel azimuth thruster. This will give a service speed of 11-12 knots. The new ferry is built for use in open sea, in the EU trade area C.