- New building offers space for 250 passengers in summer and 150 in winter
- The newbuild was designed by Conoship International BV, with completion and final outfitting carried out by TB Shipyards in Harlingen
- The transfer of the newbuild to Föhr is planned for this week, the christening will take place on 15 May in Wyk.
Following the successful completion of the shipyard sea trials last Friday, Wyk-based Dampfschiffs-Reederei Föhr-Amrum GmbH (W.D.R.) has taken delivery of its latest addition to the fleet, the fast catamaran M/S "RÜM HART", from the Dutch shipyard Thecla Bodewes Shipyards in Harlingen. After the official christening on 15 May, the ship, which is registered under the German flag in Wyk, will embark on a longer charter for the Westerland island and Hallig shipping company AdlerSchiffe GmbH & Co KG, with which W.D.R. has been cooperating for a long time. "We are delighted to be taking over this outstanding ship and to be able to significantly strengthen and upgrade the shipping connections on Schleswig-Holstein's west coast once again," said Axel Meynköhn, Managing Director of W.D.R., on the occasion of the delivery. "The trial run of the 'RÜM HART' at the end of last week fulfilled our expectations, especially with regard to the service speed, which utilises the 16 knots permitted in the Wadden Sea and thus ensures fast, comfortable transport. I would like to thank the shipyard TB Shipyards for their excellent work - we have no regrets about awarding this newbuilding contract abroad as the first ship in our company's history. The cooperation with our Dutch partners was excellent in every respect.
Customised ship for use in the Wadden Sea
The "RÜM HART" was designed by the Groningen-based engineering firm Conoship International BV. "The big challenge for us was to design a relatively small passenger ship with a shallow draught in such a way that it could still reach a service speed of 16 knots against the current," says Geert Dokter, Managing Director of Conoship International. No easy task for a shallow-draft ship for the Wadden Sea - especially with a full load and a ship length of just 34.15 metres and a width of 10.50 metres. "The successful sea trial last Friday proved that this requirement of our customer W.D.R. could be met. Frankly, I'm a little proud of that," says Geert Dokter. In terms of its overall design, the "RÜM HART" is tailor-made for use in the Wadden Sea - and not just for summer excursions, but all year round. The spacious, bright saloon, which also has a small galley, can accommodate 150 passengers. A further 100 guests can sit on deck in summer. Three crew members are needed to operate the ship, which is barrier-free and therefore ideal for guests with limited mobility.
Milestone for the shipyard
For the owner-managed shipyard group TB Shipyards, the newbuild represents a milestone for North Friesland and an important international reference. "I am confident that this very versatile ship will become an ambassador for our company and strengthen our international reputation," says shipyard owner Thecla Bodewes. The shipyard worked closely with a supplier in Makkumz, the Netherlands, to build the catamaran, which is made of aluminium to reduce its weight. The entire aluminium hull was produced there at Bloemsma. "We had it transported to Harlingen on 1 December 2018," says Thecla Bodewes, "and it was then completed and fitted out at our shipyard."
Christening ceremony on 15 May in Wyk
Following the formal takeover of its new "RÜM HART", W.D.R. now wants to transfer the ship to Föhr as quickly as possible. "When that can happen depends on how the weather develops," says Managing Director Axel Meynköhn. He expects the transfer to take place this week. The new build will then be christened in Wyk on 15 May, with delegations from the design office and shipyard among the 100 or so invited christening guests. Following the christening ceremony, the newbuilding will embark on a longer charter for Adler-Schiffe GmbH & Co. As part of Adler's route network (which also includes connections to Sylt and Helgoland), the "RÜM HART" - which will be given the charter name "ADLER RÜM HART" - will sail between Föhr, Amrum, Hooge, Langeness and Dagebüll. "We have a very good, long-standing working relationship with Adler-Schiffe," says Meynköhn. With the commissioning of the new ship, the range of shipping routes on the North Frisian coast will be more closely meshed and better than ever before, particularly in the interests of island and Hallig holidaymakers. However, the "RÜM HART" has been designed in such a way that, in addition to excursion trips, it can also carry out replacement trips on the normal W.D.R. ferry routes, in particular on the Hallig line from Schlüttsiel to Hooge and Langeness. Passengers are usually embarked and disembarked via the bow, which can be connected to the existing ferry bridges. Alternatively, boarding and disembarking is also possible on both sides of the "Rüm Hart" via a conventional gangway.
