Designing a passenger ferry for the River Niger means confronting a particular set of constraints: variable water depth as shallow as 0.89m, shifting channels, water hyacinth overgrowth, subsurface wrecks and piracy on the Lokoja–Onitsha route.

 

The winning entry in the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s (WFSA) 13th Annual International Student Design Competition For Safe Affordable Ferries addressed all of them, and did so with a hull form and construction method chosen specifically to be buildable by a Nigerian shipyard.

 

First prize went to Nagapasa, a 10-member team from Universitas Indonesia led by Felicia Rachel Taruli Siregar, who also oversaw the ferry’s structural arrangement. Their design, MV Safarind, is a 36m flat-bottomed steel catamaran with a service speed of 27knots, capable of carrying 200 passengers and their cargo on each leg of the 200km route in approximately four hours.

Team Nagapasa, winners of the Safe Affordable Ferries competition (image: Universitas Indonesia)

 

The competition asks university teams to develop safe, affordable ferry concepts for inland and coastal routes in developing countries, where ageing vessels, overcrowding and poorly designed hulls frequently cause accidents and loss of life. Nigeria has provided the backdrop for the third year running, attracting 18 submissions in the 2025-2026 competition.

 

Flat-plate construction

The catamaran configuration was chosen to deliver high transverse stability and a larger passenger deck area within the shallow-draught constraint, with better tolerance to passenger overloading than many conventional inland vessel forms. The decision to use an all-flat-plate steel hull was driven by the capability of the shipyard likely to build it.

 

Nagapasa designed MV Safarind specifically for construction at the Nigerian Naval Shipyard in Port Harcourt, and flat-plate construction avoids compound curvature and complex plate rolling, reducing fabrication cost and allowing the vessel to be built using conventional steel-working equipment. It also supports easier structural repair, a relevant factor on a route where grounding and debris impacts are a routine operational hazard.

 

Buildability is a requirement of the WFSA competition, which aims to ensure that every entry has a realistic chance of being constructed. In Nagapasa’s case it shaped not just the fabrication method but the entire design process.

 

“We defined a target investment envelope based on expected passenger fares, route demand and typical inland ferry-operating economics, and used that as a boundary condition throughout,” Siregar says. “Major design parameters, vessel size, passenger capacity, propulsion power, structural configuration and onboard systems were continuously evaluated, not only for technical performance but also for constructability, maintainability and lifecycle operating cost.”

MV Safarind was designed for shallow-draught operations on the River Niger (image: Universitas Indonesia)

 

Flat-plate hulls are not the most hydrodynamically efficient geometry, and the team used CFD-based hull refinement to recover some of that deficit within the constraints of buildability. Optimising the bow entry and bottom geometry reduced total resistance by 6.8%, compared with the baseline configuration.

 

Power options

The team selected four petrol-fuelled Yamaha F450 XTO outboard engines, each rated 450hp (336kW), as the primary propulsion system. The decision was grounded in hydrodynamic resistance analysis, but the outboard configuration also eliminates underwater appendages vulnerable to damage from submerged objects and vegetation, reduces machinery complexity, simplifies inspection and maintenance, and improves redundancy through independent units. A diesel-electric system capable of the same performance, Siregar notes, would have added complexity and capital costs.

 

The energy balance at 27knots with four large outboards is demanding, and the hybrid element of the design addresses auxiliary and hotel loads rather than propulsion. MV Safarind would carry a battery pack rated just under 737kWh, supplemented by roof-mounted solar panels contributing 11% of auxiliary electricity demand, with generators providing backup during periods of high load. Recharge time is estimated at four hours. The hybrid system is expected to reduce fuel consumption by 58,000litres per year, equivalent to an annual CO₂ reduction of 138.6tonnes, based on the vessel’s load analysis and operational profile.

 

Intact and probabilistic damage stability analyses were performed using Maxsurf Stability in accordance with the IMO High-Speed Craft Code and MSC.216(82) requirements. Manoeuvrability was assessed using a turning diameter model appropriate for narrow inland waterways, and evacuation analysis followed IMO MSC.1/Circ.1238 guidelines. Structural sizing was developed against Bureau Veritas scantling rules, supported by a 3D structural model.

 

“Beyond hydrodynamic efficiency, we evaluated the vessel’s safety and operational performance using established naval architecture methods,” Siregar says.

TECHNICAL PARTICULARS MV SAFARIND
Length overall	35.85m
Length between perpendiculars	34.5m
Breadth overall	8m
Breadth, demi-hull	2.4m
Demi-hull, centreline spacing	2.8m
Depth	2.5m
Design draught	0.8m
Air draught	5.31
Displacement	81.33tonnes
Lightweight	58.28tonnes
Deadweight	23.05dwt
Service speed	27knots
Crew	7
Passengers	200

 

Safety and security

Navigation on the Lokoja–Onitsha route requires continuous depth awareness. The team specified echo sounders and forward-looking sonar for hazard detection alongside GPS, radar, AIS, weather-monitoring software and CCTV-based situational awareness – a layered approach to a route affected by sediment movement, floating vegetation and changing channel conditions.

 

Piracy is a persistent threat on the route. MV Safarind would carry a security alert system for discreet distress signalling, high-pressure water cannons on both sides of the upper deck, and an enclosed passenger layout with anti-climb barriers at the stern. SOLAS-compliant life-saving appliances and clearly marked escape routes complete the safety arrangement.

 

Following its win, Nagapasa was invited to present MV Safarind at the WFSA’s Ferry Safety and Technology Conference in New York in May.

 

Why Nigeria?

 

Figures from the Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa show that 8,000 ferry-related fatalities were recorded in the region in 2015-2025, with Nigeria heavily affected. This prompted the country to take action.

 

For instance, the Lagos State Waterways Authority, which oversees nearly 730 licensed ferries, has cracked down on operators who flaunt passenger overcrowding checks, fail to carry lifejackets and embark on night-time journeys, directly enforcing the rules with jet ski patrols. Meanwhile, the US$464 million, partly EU-supported Omi Eko project will introduce 78 modern electric ferries, upgrade terminals and add new floating jetties to further improve safety. This appetite for change has made Lagos a focal point for both the WFSA and industry association Interferry.

This article appeared in Ferry safety, TNA May/June 2026.