UK
The oldest of boat materials meets the most modern of technologies. The Delfino Verde Deluxe pleasure cruiser offers onboard comfort, ease of handling and fuel efficiency on the Trieste to Grado ferry in north east Italy.
They say it’s lucky to mix ‘something old’ with ‘something new’. That’s exactly what transport operator Delfino Verde Navigazione has done in choosing Volvo Penta to supply propulsion systems for the fourth boat in its fleet, to serve the Trieste-Grado route. With this craft, entirely made of wood, the owner and commander Silvano Peric wanted to benefit from the advantages of Volvo Penta’s Inboard Performance System (IPS).
“On paper, IPS offers a lot in terms of efficiency,” says Peric. “I wanted to install it on this new boat and I’m really happy with it. The Deluxe was used on the Trieste-Grado route during the summer season and the results have been excellent, with consumption far lower than our other wooden boats with traditional propulsion systems.”
In a first for Volvo Penta, the Delfino Verde Deluxe is installed with three D13-IPS900 units, which provide a reduction in fuel consumption of approximately 35 per cent when compared to traditional propulsion boats with similar characteristics.
Maneuverability and comfort on board
The 32m ferry carries up to 300 passengers and can cruise at 20 knots; it has a displacement of 100 tonnes at full load.
“The most obvious advantage for me in driving the boat every day is certainly the manageability,” says commander Claudio Memo. “Thanks to the joystick, the maneuvers when mooring the boat in the dock are really simple and fast.”
The boat is popular thanks to the traditional aspect of the wooden boat combined with the modern technology of Volvo Penta IPS. Passengers benefit from reduced onboard noise and vibration.
“Being the first wooden boat in the world with triple IPS propulsion, we have faced many challenges and a lot of skepticism to realize this project,” says Massimiliano Pini, marine sales product specialist at Volvo Penta. “The results speak for themselves: the Delfino Verde Deluxe cruises at a speed of 20 knots and consumes less than 400 l/h.”
A fundamental service
Delfino Verde Navigazione has been providing public transport to the municipality of Trieste since 2000. In 2019, the Delfino Verde Deluxe will make three return trips a day between Trieste and Grado. It will be in operation for 10 hours a day during the summer season of June to September, for a total of 800 hours, as well as being used for private commissions.
“The realization of this project is certainly due to the determination of the team that carried it through,” says Nicola Pomi, vice president of the marine segment at Volvo Penta. “Now that this design has become a reality, we are all very proud of this success.”