By
Rebecca Gibson |
Wärtsilä is to provide the waterjets for Virtu Ferries’ new high-speed ferry, which is under construction at Incat Tasmania’s yard in Australia.
The company will supply four Wärtsilä LJX1500SRI modular waterjets and a Lipstronic control system. All equipment will be delivered to Incat’s yard next April, long before the ship is due to be delivered to Virtu Ferries at the end 2018.
"This new vessel will be a large and powerful high speed ferry, the Wärtsilä waterjets selected will ensure fast, efficient, and reliable operations,” said Arto Lehtinen, vice president of propulsion at Wärtsilä Marine Solutions. “We have worked in close cooperation with Incat for nearly 30 years, and during this time have supplied them with modular waterjets for various vessel applications around the world. This product loyalty is the best possible endorsement of the quality and performance expected of the Wärtsilä range of waterjets."
Measuring 110 metres in length, Virtu Ferries’s newbuild will be the largest high-speed catamaran operating in the Mediterranean Sea. It will provide 90-minute crossings between Malta and Sicily at a service speed of up to 38 knots. The vessel will accommodate 900 passengers in four lounges on two passenger decks and 167 cars.