Incat delivers fast ferry to Molslinien

On a long way »home«: Tasmanian shipyard Incat has finished works on »Express 3«, the new fast ferry designed for Danish operator Molslinien.

The newbuilding has left Tasmania on her delivery voyage to Denmark via the Panama Canal. »Express 3« is a 109 metre high speed vehicle-pa[ds_preview]ssenger ferry, becoming the fourth Hobart-built catamaran in the company’s current fleet. It has evolved from Incat’s 112 metre catamaran range which first entered commercial service in mid-2007, the shipbuilder said in a statement.

Incat’s Tim Burnell explained that the intention was to deliver a minimum 10 per cent fuel and emissions saving plus faster vehicle deck turnaround times. According to the statement, the design refinement has also produced a improvement to vessel trim. Fuel, domestic fresh water and sullage tanks have all been moved forward but significantly, by repositioning the engine rooms six frames further forward, »the vessel benefits from vastly improved speed and fuel consumption performance. Adding a skeg to the keel has enhanced directional stability«.

On sea trials, Express 3 achieved a speed of 43 knots with 600 tonnes deadweight on board. »Additionally, the vehicle deck layout has been enhanced with a new two pillar line arrangement, offering an overall gain of 600mm width in workable vehicle deck space, greatly assisting loading and discharge which in turn has a positive effect on turnaround times in port,« Burnell said.

Vehicle deck capacity offers space for up to 411 cars, or up to 227 cars and 610 metres of truck space. Charging stations for electric vehicles were installed, allowing motorists to charge their electric car as they travel across the Kattegat.

The new ferry will enter commercial service on 1st June, 2017 and it is part of a broader cooperatin between Incat and the operator. »At Incat we are proud that we have been part of the Molslinjen transformation in that they are currently operating an Incat fleet of the 91 metre Max Mols (delivered in 1998), the 112 metre Express 1 (ex KatExpress 1, delivered in 2012), the 112 metre Express 2 (ex KatExpress 2, delivered in 2013) and now Express 3 delivered in April 2017«, Burnell explained.