Volvo Penta Engines for Two New Elizabeth River Ferries

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) has specified twin Volvo Penta 13-liter 400 hp diesel engines to power its two new Elizabeth River ferries – River Ferry IV and V – due to enter service later this year. The ferries provide daily, round-trip connections between the downtowns of Norfolk and Portsmouth in southeastern Virginia.

The two aluminum 150-passenger pedestrian ferries were designed by BMT Group and are under construction at Armstrong Marine’s shipyard in Swansboro, N.C. One is expected to be delivered before the end of 2016 and the second is slated for delivery during the first half of 2017. 

“Volvo Penta engines are known for their low noise production and pure performance,” said Tracy Gable, contract administrator at Armstrong Marine. “These engines will provide a quick, reliable and easily maneuverable ferry ride back and forth across the river.”

The D13 engines are EPA Tier 3 compliant and are IMO NOx Tier II certified. They also meet the U.S. Coast Guard requirements for decibel levels in marine commercial engines.

HRT repowered one of its existing vessels, Elizabeth River Ferry III, with the same propulsion package in 2014, and was very satisfied with the results, in the form of improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and high performance.

“Our decision to standardize on the Volvo Penta D13s for the new boats was largely based on our complete satisfaction with the repowering experience,” said Mark Stemple, project manager at HRT. “Through the course of the repower and subsequent operation of the boat, we were impressed by the engines’ performance and reliability, as well as the high level of customer support from the Volvo Penta team. After we put the repowered boat back into the water, the Volvo Penta engineering team worked hard to tweak the RPM-to-fuel consumption ratio, giving us even better fuel efficiency without sacrificing boat speed.”

“We take great pride in our reputation for customer satisfaction,” said Marcia Kull, Volvo Penta’s vice president of marine sales for North America. “That’s why we see so many repeat customers like HRT who keep coming back to us because of their experience with our engines and our extraordinary engineering and customer service teams.”