The government of India plans a better con[ds_preview]nection of its Andaman & Nicobar Island Group with the mainland. For this, a cooperation with European designers developed the concept for four new RoPax vessels.
European experts have recognized Asia as a very important market of the future for modern ferry concepts. However, up to know, the biggest focus in the respect have been put on China and Southeast Asia, as HANSA revealed recently. Now, a new concept for India and the traffic with the Andaman & Nicobar islands, was developed.
The Danish consultancy firm Knud E. Hansen and India´s Smart Engineering & Design Solutions (SEDS) have recently teamed up to deliver two new vessel designs, each with two vessels to be built, for the Andaman & Nicobar Administration of India. »The larger of the two designs will provide a modern link between the Indian mainland and the Andaman & Nicobar Island Group to the east of the subcontinent with a passenger capacity of 1200 and carrying up to 1000t of mixed cargo«, Knud E. Hansen said in a statement.
All four vessels are to be built at Cochin Shipyard in India and will sail with Indian Flag. The principal particulars are:
»500Pax cum 150t Cargo Vessel«
LOA: approx. 100.0m
B: 17.5m
Tdesign: 4.3m
Service Speed: 16 knots
»1200Pax cum Cargo Vessel«
LOA: approx. 157.0m
B: 21.3m
Tdesign: 6.1m
Service Speed: 18 knots
Combination with local expertise from India
The smaller vessels will be employed in the Northern/Southern group of the Islands, or running an interisland service and is designed to carry 500 passengers and 150t of mixed cargo. Both designs are said to replace existing tonnage with modern vessels »meeting the latest standards of comfort and safety«. According to KEH, the design process has been shared between the two companies, with KEH responsible for forming the initial concept for both vessels. For the smaller vessel SEDS have then taken the reins and further developed the design through the contract and basic design stages. »The collaboration between KEH and SEDS has resulted in a unique design, capturing elements of both the local knowledge and experience of SEDS and the extensive passenger vessel design experience of KEH«, it was added.
