The Team Black Pearl from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), consisting of talented students and their experienced supervisor from the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME), has been crowned champion in the 12th International Student Design Competition for a Safe and Affordable Ferry (2024-25).

A sustainable, eco-friendly, safe, state-of-the-art, and innovative transportation system is a highly sought after concept in today’s world. This is especially crucial for water transport. In pursuit of this goal, BUET students designed the ferry "Naija Spirit", which won the title of Champion in an international competition.

Being established in 2008, the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA), based in the United States, has been working to reduce ferry accidents worldwide by promoting safe ferry design and operations. In recent years, this organization has also been focusing on reducing environmental pollution, as the maritime sector contributes to 20% of global pollution. To assist developing countries in preventing ferry accidents, designing safe ferries, and reducing pollution, the WFSA organizes an annual International Ferry Design Competition, where students from top universities around the world participate.

The 12th edition of this competition was held from October to December 2024. In this edition, a seven-member team from the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) at BUET, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Zobair Ibn Awal, secured the Champion title, a prestigious achievement for both BUET and Bangladesh.

The team members of "Team Black Pearl" were:

•           Md Safayet Hossain Shishir (Team Leader)

•           Md. Abdul Kader

•           Abu Rasel

•           Mahmudul Hasan Shahed

•           Afif Bin Habib Omeo

•           Md. Atiqur Rahaman

•           Md. Kawsar Mhamud Zidan

The judges were impressed by their eco-friendly and innovative design and creativity. The design submission was completed on December 31, 2024, and the results were announced on February 9, 2025.

In this competition, the Shipbuilding Institute of Polytechnic Surabaya, Indonesia, secured 2nd place, while ITS Indonesia and University of Indonesia, Jakarta, jointly secured 3rd place.

For winning the 1st place, Team Black Pearl received $5,000 prize, while the 2nd and 3rd place winners received $3,000 and $1,000, respectively. In the previous editions of the competition, Team Black Pearl had also demonstrated outstanding performance by securing 2nd place in the 11th edition, Honorable Mention in the 10th edition, and 3rd place in the 9th edition, proving their consistent excellence.

Each year, the competition specifies a ferry route, passenger capacity, and ferry type. For this edition, the route was set on Nigeria’s Lagos inland waterway, running 25 kilometers from Ikorodu Terminal to CMS. Lagos, being a highly populated city, faces frequent disruptions in its transportation system. To address this issue, the competition required participants to design a ferry that could operate on this route, carry 200 passengers, and be powered entirely by electricity.

The Team Black Pearl’s winning design, "Naija Spirit", is a fully electric ferry that is safe, environmentally friendly, and technologically advanced. It features a lightweight yet durable aluminum structure, measuring 28 meters in length and 9 meters in breadth. The ferry is a double-deck catamaran, equipped with a rechargeable battery propulsion system, along with solar power and hydrogen fuel cells for emergency backup, significantly reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. The battery takes only 24 minutes to recharge, and the team proposed establishing a charging station at Ikorodu Terminal.

For safety, the ferry is equipped with fire extinguishers, a fire sprinkler system, an optimized evacuation system with raft, and a directional sound beacon system. It also integrates several advanced technologies. The ferry can complete 10 trips per day, operating from 6 AM to 6 PM, with each trip covering 25 kilometers in 42 minutes approximately. The estimated cost for constructing the ferry is $1.02 million.

By showcasing their expertise and innovative thinking in this highly competitive international competition, Team Black Pearl has proven that BUET’s Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering is producing highly talented and skilled young engineers. These engineers are capable of keeping pace with the global maritime industry’s advancements and can lead Bangladesh in the fields of Maritime industry in the future.