---

UK-based BMT Nigel Gee Ltd., a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, a leading international maritime design, engineering and risk management consultancy, has announced that it has won an order to design a 25-metre all electric, 150-passenger ferry in China.

The new green ship design will be developed to demonstrate the practical use of a battery-powered ferry within estuarial and coastal waters, where marine transportation provides a viable alternative to land-based transport.

BMT has been tasked with providing the design based on its low resistance hull form technology, which is currently in use in many low wash catamaran ferries.

The ferry design will use a catamaran hull form with VRB batteries providing the power to the electric drive motors. It is intended that the vessel will achieve a 10 knot service speed. Solar cells will be incorporated into the roof structure to top up the batteries whilst the vessel is in use.

Construction of the vessel will start by the middle of 2011 with trials and delivery scheduled for mid-2012.

Commenting on the technical aspects of the order Ed Dudson, Technical Director at BMT Nigel Gee, said: "This design has been an interesting challenge as we needed to balance the weight of the batteries against the vessel performance in order to ensure that a practical ferry service can be provided. Winning this contract further strengthens our commitment to developing innovative solutions for customers around the world, helping them to overcome their unique design challenges."