Derecktor Shipyards has launched CUNY I, the first hybrid vessel built for the City University of New Yorks Brooklyn College. The 20m-long CUNY I is powered by a BAE Systems HybriDrive diesel-electric hybrid system. Electric power is supplied by a set of lithium-ion batteries, and propulsion is via articulating drives powered by two electric motors. The hybrid vessel has been designed to be extremely fuel efficient when the diesel motor is operating, and has 1,364 litres of fuel capacity. The City University of New York (CUNY), in collaboration with the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay, plans to use the vessel for research of the Jamaica Bay area, as well as Long Island Sound. This is the second hybrid research vessel Derecktor has built, following completion of the Spirit of the Sound, built for the Maritime Aquarium of Norwalk. Both CUNY I and Spirit of the Sound are based on a catamaran design by Incat Crowther. Derecktor general manager Micah Tucker, said, We are very pleased to have built another hybrid vessel, and are excited at the possibilities of alternative energy in marine studies and transportation.
