Austal awarded €20.5M contract to build 66 metre high-speed catamaran ferry for French Polynesia
Austal Limited has been awarded a €20.5 million (approximately A$32.8 million) contract to design and build a 66 metre high-speed catamaran ferry for The Degage Group of French Polynesia, according to the company's release.
Work will commence on the new ferry in August 2021 at Austal Vietnam, with a scheduled delivery in the first half of 2023.
Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said the new contract from repeat customer The Degage Group was a strong indication of their satisfaction with Austal’s innovative commercial ferry designs.
The new Austal ‘Passenger Express 66’ catamaran features a length overall (LOA) of 66.4 metres, beam of 15.2 metres and draft of 1.8 metres. Over two passenger decks, the vessel can accommodate 574 passengers, with an additional 80 seats available on an external sun deck. Crew accommodation includes 7 two-berth cabins and 2 single-berth cabins. The vessel has four passenger access ramps and can carry up to 16 tonnes of cargo loaded via two cranes.
To be fitted with four diesel engines and four waterjets, as well as Austal’s renowned Motion Control System (including active interceptors and T-foils) and the latest MARINELINK and MARINELINK-Smart programs, the new ferry will have a contracted top speed of 35.8 knots and a range of 360 nautical miles.
Austal has previously designed and built five vessels for The Degage Group, comprising two 69 metre monohull cruise ships (Austal Hulls 172 and 173), a 56 metre vehicle passenger catamaran ferry (Austal Hull 266), an 80 metre vehicle passenger catamaran ferry (Austal Hull 201) and a 49 metre vehicle passenger ferry (Hull 421).
The new ferry will operate as the Apetahi Express, between Pape’ete (Tahiti) and Vaitape (Bora Bora).
