Page 29: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2025)

WATERJETS essel designer Aircat Vessels has developed a surface

Kamewa Waterjets’ unique ability to generate full reverse thrust enables effect ship (SES) crew transport catamaran, AIRCAT vessels to come to a complete stop in just 35 Crewliner, that can sail at over 50 knots and manage 1.5 boat lengths at speeds of 30 knots. offshore transfers in 2.5-meter seas. The air cushion

V system from ESNA dynamically adjusts to sea condi- tions so the vessel can reduce transit times, reduce fuel consumption and improve comfort for passengers travelling at high speed.

The ? rst three vessels are now being operated by All Energies Ser- vices (AES) in Angola, taking passengers out to TotalEnergies An- gola’s offshore sites.

The Aircat vessel design was also recently taken up Centus Marine, and Strategic Marine is building the vessel which includes four of

Kongsberg Maritime’s Kamewa waterjets. Th waterjet’s inlet nozzles are always covered by water even though the submerged volume of the vessel reduces by up to 80% when the air cushion is in use.

“In high-risk maritime environments, the ability to stop fast and re- liably can be the difference between routine operation and disaster,” says Anders Valkeinen, Vice-President Sales, High-Speed Craft at

Kongsberg Maritime. “Kamewa Waterjets’ unique ability to generate full reverse thrust enables vessels to come to a complete stop in just 1.5 boat lengths at speeds of 30 knots. This can be game-changing for operators like Aircat, whose high-ef? ciency crew transfer vessels operate near offshore platforms. When the unexpected happens, this capability becomes a critical safety tool.”

The Aircat vessels are a ? rst for SES for Strategic Marine. They may be the start of an increasing trend, but there is another trend that is al- ready taking hold – a push for pairing waterjets with electric propulsion.

In January, two hybrid ferries were christened for Chatham Area ptions

JETS

By Wendy Laursen

Aircat Vessels has developed a surface effect ship (SES) crew transport catamaran, AIRCAT 35 Crewliner, that features an air cushion system from ESNA.

Source: ESNA www.marinelink.com 29

MR #6 (18-33).indd 29 MR #6 (18-33).indd 29 5/31/2025 8:13:43 PM5/31/2025 8:13:43 PM