Australia: Incat Crowther Wins 20m Catamaran Ferry Design Contract

Incat Crowther announces that the company has been awarded a contract to design a 20m Catamaran Ferry to operate in the Cocos Keeling Islands.

The 34th vessel constructed out of the partnership between Richardson Devine marine and Incat Crowther, the vessel has been commissioned by the Commonwealth Government of Australia. The partnership beat out strong competition in a competitive tender process to be awarded the contract.

The vessel has been optimized to transit between the Cocos Keeling islands, which are located in the Indian Ocean. The remote location calls for reliability, ruggedness and ease of maintenance. The vessel’s air conditioned main deck cabin has seating for 70 passengers in forward-facing seats. Aft of the main passenger cabin are a pair of toilets, one of which is wheelchair accessible. The aft deck features a cargo area for transferring supplies and luggage between the islands. This cargo space has a capacity of 2t, with a deck load capacity of 1 tonne per sqm. A wide boarding zone facilitates rapid transfer for both passengers and freight.

Also located in the aft deck area is a pair of large engine maintenance and machinery removal hatches.

From the aft deck, stairs lead up to roof deck, where there are seats for a further 24 passengers. Forward of this is a half height wheelhouse which affords 360 degree visibility from the central helm position. The vessel will be powered by a pair of Cummins QSM11 main engines, each rated at 610 hp at 2300 rpm. Power is transmitted via ZF360 gearboxes to a pair of Hamilton HM422 Waterjets. A cruising speed of 22 knots will be achieved at 85% MCR, with a top speed of 24 knots. Water jet propulsion was selected to meet the draft requirement of the operation. Service speed will be 20 knots.

The vessel is due to be delivered in the second quarter of 2012.