The Chinese shipyard Plenty Shipbuilding is building a new ferry, designed by CoCo Yachts that will connect the Tanzanian mainland with the island of Zanzibar.
Zanzibar is more than just a dream island for sun worshippers. The Tanzanian island is a jewel in the Indian Ocean - a melting pot of cultures, world heritage site, natural paradise and a haven for adventurous travelers. Most tourists reach Zanzibar by plane - there are direct flights from all over the world. But no less pleasant is the arrival by ferry. From Dar-es-Salaam, the Tanzanian capital, it is less than two hours.
"mtu engines are extremely reliable and powerful"
A new ferry is currently being built at the Chinese shipyard Plenty Shipbuilding for the operator Zan Fast Ferries. Its propulsion system: two mtu engines of type 16V 4000 M63L. "The engines are not only extremely reliable and powerful, they are also very fuel-efficient and promise operators low life-cycle costs," explains Steven Ding, Vice President Sales Mobile Power Solutions at Rolls-Royce Greater China.
The high-speed passenger ferry, designed by CoCo Yachts, a Dutch design company, is equipped with automatic control system for navigation attitude, as well as safe, comfortable and luxurious occupant seats. Compared with other ferries running in Zanzibar, it is faster, more fuel-efficient and lower in overall cost.
Henk van Herwijnen, General Manager at CoCo Yachts: “The ferry is designed as per customer requirements and actual water and weather conditions, its performance is analysed and optimized with up-to-date design software, and two mtu engines to be installed on the ferry will provide main propulsion to ensure the comfort, safety and low fuel consumption of the ferry.”
The mtu Series 4000 engines have been on the market for almost 26 years and have proven their capability in over 250 million operating hours during this time. This experience is also relied upon by Mingyi Wu, Executive Director at Yaguang Technology Group Co, Ltd. and shareholder of Plenty Shipbuilding. "We are very pleased to have found a professional partner for this project in Rolls-Royce Power Systems and its mtu engines," he says.
Successful cooperation continued
Back in 2020, Plenty Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. delivered two mtu-powered ferries to Zan Fast Ferries in Tanzania: the Zanzibar 1 and the Zanzibar 2. "The renewed order shows how successful the cooperation has been so far," says Steven Ding. And he adds, "It also shows how we as Rolls-Royce Power Systems can help Chinese customers conquer new markets."