An zero emission vessel for the transport of trains, passengers and goods in the Strait of Messina. The new boat of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (FS Italiane Group) is called "Iginia" and is preparing to sail the salty waters between Sicily and Calabria. The economic investment is 57 million euros, 7 of which financed by National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) for Green technology, the implementation of which - as planned - will start from next November. The investment comes in addition to "two other tenders for the renewal of the RFI fleet: one, underway, worth 60 million euros for the construction of three new high-speed vehicles with dual diesel/gas and electric fuel supply, intended to enhance the fleet of Blu Jet, and a second one worth 80 million for another vessel with dual fuel diesel/gas and electric technologies”, said the CEO of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana Vera Fiorani.
Iginia: the new Rfi ship that ensures the transport of trains in the Strait of Messina
Built by the Temporary Association of Companies – composed of the agent T. Mariotti Spa and the principal Officine Meccaniche Navali and Fonderie San Giorgio del Porto Spa – Iginia becomes part of the Rfi fleet, currently made up of the two sister ships Scilla e Villa and Messina. To these are added the ships of the subsidiary Bluferries used for passenger and wheeled transport: Sikania, inaugurated last year, its sister ship Trinacria, in service since 2018, Enotria, Fata Morgana and Riace.
Today Iginia also joins the team, replacing the previous one that sailed the seas for 44 years. In memory of this, a bell from the old ship is kept in the hall, as a sign of continuity.
More interventions are planned, with a plan that includes the construction of a fifth ship ferry-railway and the replacement of three fast ships with three modern and green ones. The modernization of the stations of Messina, Reggio and Villa is also ongoing. These are activities “that will redevelop the stations of the whole area of the Strait. In Messina Marittima a museum will be created inside a beautiful structure that boasts mosaics of great artistic value. The interventions will renovate the buildings, improve the accessibility of the stations but above all the rail-ship intermodality that affects the area of the Strait. Total investments of over 12 billion euros are planned to enhance infrastructures and connections in Sicily, functional to revolutionizing mobility on the island”, declared Vera Fiorani.
Technical characteristics and green technology of Iginia
The steering system is ensured by three main engines and three variable-pitch azimuth thrusters, while two transverse propellers allow maximum manoeuvrability. All the loading/unloading operations of railway carriages and wagons are carried out from the bow saloon, through the mobile bridge; any wheeled vehicles, on the other hand, access the loading deck from the stern and side doors, as well as from the bow saloon.
147 meters long and 19 wide, has a maximum capacity of 27 railway wagons on 4 tracks. It can accommodate 700 people, including crew. Composed of a main saloon with a bar room seating 339, of which 29 seats dedicated to people with reduced mobility, 7 seats for wheelchairs, 101 seats in the aft saloon and 198 in the saloon open to the outside.
The new boat makes respect for the environment its main feature, above all because it has zero CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions. Iginia has obtained the certification “GreenPlus” – the highest certificate in the field of sustainability – by the Italian Naval Register.
Among the peculiarities that accompany the ship, the propulsion system guaranteed by two packs of batteries recharged by solar panels already installed, or by earth plugs in the cradles. On board there are also innovative bilge water and sewage treatment plants, all with the use of technologies that eliminate carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions both in port and in entry and exit manoeuvres.
