Alilauro 33 meter ferry powered by 4 Volvo Ips Imo IIIs

Not only more performance but also lower consumption and therefore lower emissions, so with Volvo Penta hulls new perspectives also open for the operation of yachts, superyachts and commercial boats up to 60 meters, as shown by Alilauro’s Giove Jet ferry, which it has just been. presented with its new equipment with four Volvo Penta Ips IMO III engines.

Is there a more meaningful experiment than putting an innovative transport like IPS on a 33 meter 322 ton catamaran, with a capacity of 261 passengers, which has the expectation of sailing 2000/2500 hours a year? We are sure that we will not be contradicted if we say that we rarely face the most demanding applications in terms of reliability and economy of operation.

From ferry to pleasure boat in the name of sustainability

At Volvo Penta they shine accordingly: their four IPS IMO IIIs of 800 hp each with Pod transmission have replaced, and greatly improved the performance of, four turbodiesels for a total of 2400 hp at waterjet propulsion. The refurbishment of the Giove Jet, originally built in 1985, took place at the ‘Marinteknik Verkstadts AB’ shipyard in Oregrund, Sweden, and is now ready to start service on the route connecting Naples to the Gulf islands.

“We are proud of this installation which opens new perspectives for our IPS twenty years after its launch and more than 40 thousand units installed – explains Andrea Piccione, Commercial Director of Volvo Penta Italy -. Here the challenge was more difficult, but sea trials proved that it was met in bulk. The Giove Jet without passengers even exceeded 30 knots, a performance that makes you think how with a full load it can easily travel at 27/28 knots”.

But it is not speed performance that is at the center of the project, but rather the economy of operation and respect for the environment. Here also the new Giove Jet is adopted with flying colors: a reduction in consumption, and therefore emissions, by 30% compared to the previous engine, also combining to reduce noise and vibrations by a percentage between 30% and 40%.

“Interesting figures that suggest a reduction of more than one million kilos of carbon dioxide emissions per year, calculated for an average use of 2 thousand hours per year – emphasizes Andrea Piccione -. To all this we must add better maneuverability and greater ease of maintenance and support, more space in the engine room for more installations that improve passenger comfort, but also with the advantage of displacement, essentially the same performance but with a smaller engine “.

It should be emphasized that the emission reduction was achieved by replacing the old pump-and-injection engines with modern Volvo Penta engines with high-pressure electronic injection that increases combustion by reducing consumption from 708 to 495 l/h.

Added to all this is an exhaust gas treatment system to reduce emissions which contributes to a 75% reduction in NOx levels (total nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide).

The engines are also ready to use with HVO fuel and as a result a further improvement in production, while the program monitoring system will favor a sensible reduction in board consumption.

Also read: Volvo Penta launches IPS40, an innovative multi-use solution for supercar intake with 1000 hp engines

A visible fix for the future

Giove Jet accelerates the “green” transition of the Lauro Group, which has already begun in recent years through the first phase of repositioning other fleet units, operating in serving a total of 47 destinations and which in 2024 celebrates its eightieth anniversary of its establishment. .

“An important project, which allows us to raise the level of environmental protection beyond the EU regulations that are still in force and which we have completed thanks to the support of the National Recovery and Resilience Program – explains the CEO of Alilauro, Eliseo Cuccaro -. An intervention that is part of the company’s philosophy that has always been attentive to environmental sustainability and efficiency and which today looks with new hope on the inevitable challenge of transport that is increasingly compatible with the protection of the planet, without giving up high levels of efficiency, speed, comfort and safety. Alilauro also focuses on guilt in what is known as intervention, guaranteeing users schedules in cooperation with major road and rail transport companies”.

“This first challenge won – continues Eliseo Cuccaro – makes us focus on new goals. Volvo Penta has assured us that other more powerful IPS units will be ready soon that will allow us to launch bigger boats, following the example of the Giove Jet, and this is one of the In addition, the level of navigational comfort, silence and vibration reduction that we found on this first catamaran powered by Volvo Penta IPS pushes us to recognize this distribution as the best balancing and modern solution in the name of sustainability, economy of operation and quality of navigation also of other units”.

“Volvo Penta’s goal is to further strengthen the IPS offer with more powerful aspirational engines for yachts, superyachts and commercial yachts up to 60 meters” concludes Andrea Piccione, anticipating what many ‘rumours’ had already guessed.

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