Box ship specialist wins double-ender

摘要

Anew breed of double-ended ferry is central to the modernisation of the transport infrastructure of Germany's North Frisian Islands. With a capacity for 1,200 passengers and 75 cars, the newbuilding ordered by Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei (WDR Wyk Steamship) spearheads an investment programme that includes terminal upgrades as well as modifications to three existing ferries.Construction of the double-ender has been awarded to the Hamburg-Neuenfelde shipbuilder JJ Sietas, known for its prolific output and design of smaller classes of container ship, and a leading exponent of 'paragrapher' construction in earlier days. The 75m-long WDR ferry represents a departure by Sietas from its core lines of production of many years and a strategic shift towards special-purpose tonnage, capitalising on its strengths in design know-how and productivity.