The present paper discusses a practical case study of a hydrodynamic assessment for a double-ended ferry designed to operate in the Venice’s lagoon. The main objective of this study was to compare two propulsive configurations, with 2 or with 4 azimuthing thrusters, both in terms of powering and manoeuvrability performances. Additional design requirements were: good ship handling, even in case of one propulsor failure, and a limited drift angle. The results of this overall hydrodynamic assessment gave important indications on the performance of the ship and helped the definition of the optimal ship design.