Incat Tasmania awarded new 76 Metre High Speed Catamaran Contract by Seaworld Express Ferry
Australian high speed vessel specialists Incat Tasmania and leading South Korean coastal passenger transport company Seaworld Express Ferry are pleased to announce an order for a new generation fast ferry.
The 76 metre bespoke high speed wave piercing catamaran ferry will accommodate up to 700 passengers and 79 cars when it enters service on the new route between Jindo and Jeju early 2022.
A Southern Korean state-sponsored service, Seaworld Express Ferry was selected as operator for the route in recognition of its past track record, current financial health and superior business plan.
Seaworld Express Ferry Chairman Mr. Hyuk Young Lee says “We were most impressed with Incat Tasmania’s modern shipyard facilities, the advanced passenger safety systems incorporated into the Incat Tasmania design, the very high levels of on board passenger comfort and indeed, the yard’s record for on-time and on-budget deliveries with some of the lowest warranty claims in the fast ferry industry.”
“As the leading ferry operator in South Korea it is this world class expertise that led us to select Incat Tasmania for our new high speed service and it was an important aspect of our winning tender submission” he says.
Incat Tasmania Chairman Robert Clifford AO says Incat Tasmania is no stranger in Korean waters having delivered its first vessel to the region in 1995, the still highly regarded Sunflower. “With Incat Tasmania’s track record in delivering vessels with speed, efficiency, reliability and superior seakeeping, the client was moved to inspect Incat Tasmania-built 112 metre high speed ferry Natchan Rera trading in Taiwan in mid-2019” he says.
“Impressed with how much more advanced this wave piercing catamaran was compared with other vessels operating in South Korean waters Seaworld Express Ferry knew immediately that taking this Incat Tasmania design and production expertise and applying it to a customised bespoke vessel would represent a significant step change for South Korean high speed ferry operations.”
The new 76 metre vessel will be radically different from the 74 and 78 metre vessels which were the world’s first vehicle-carrying high speed catamarans in the early 1990s and for which Incat Tasmania became well known around the world.
Benefitting from Incat Tasmania’s recent redesign of its tried and proven hull-forms, incorporating a completely new bow arrangement, the ferry will lead the market in terms of seakeeping for vessels of its size.
Incat Tasmania CEO Tim Burnell says “With a significant improvement to both the waterline length and vessel trim compared with those earlier craft, the 76 metre ferry will also benefit from vastly improved speed and fuel consumption. The new design very much reflects thirty years of experience building market leading high speed vehicle-passenger ferries.”
“There is an increasing recognition among discerning operators like Seaworld Express Ferry that Incat Tasmania is not only providing fantastic value for money but we are also delivering on the client vision for a high quality vessel that offers the finest passenger experience, industry leading in-service operational uptime and the lowest incidence of warranty issues.”
In these extraordinary days, this new order is good news for both Incat Tasmania and Seaworld Express Ferry.
“Seaworld Express Ferry has made a strategic investment to secure the transport rights of local Jeju residents and tourists, thereby making a significant contribution to the revitalisation of the local economy” Tim Burnell says.
“At Incat Tasmania we are fortunate to have the best quality, most highly experienced workforce in the global fast ferry industry and we are pleased to add this new vessel to the three already under construction for customers around the world.”