By
Rebecca Gibson |
Australian shipbuilders Austal and Incat Tasmania have ordered a total of eight engines from MAN Energy Solutions, which will be used to power two fast ferries that will be operated by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago.
To be built at Austal’s Vung Tau shipyard in Vietnam, the first of the ferries will be a 94-metre-long vessel that can carry 926 passengers and 250 cars. The ferry will use four MAN 16V28/33D STC engines to travel at a speed of 37.5 knots.
Meanwhile, Incat will use four MAN 16V28/33D STC engines in the 100-metre-long, wave-piercing catamaran that will carry up to 1,000 people and 239 cars, or a combination of trucks and cars. The vessel, which is being built in Tasmania, Australia, will operate at a speed of 39.5 knots.
“MAN Energy Solutions has long had very good working relations with both Incat and Austal,” said Lex Nijsen, head of Four-Stroke Marine Sales at MAN Energy Solutions. “With these orders, we have further strengthened our position as the leading engine provider for large, high-speed ferries. The MAN 28/33D STC type is the market segment’s most fuel-efficient engine, a vital consideration when a vessel’s fuel bill can easily account for 90% of its operating costs.”
Once complete, both ferries will provide high-speed passenger and vehicle operations on the sea bridge between the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. MAN Energy Solutions’ after-sales division, MAN PrimeServ, will open a hub in the islands to provide ongoing support.