Page 29: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 1993)

First Of Two Sister Ferries

Delivered By UNL

The new ferry "Las Palmas De

Gran Canaria," delivered recently by the private yard Union Naval de

Levante (UNL) to Cia Trans- mediterranea, is the first of a pair of sisterships placed on order at UNL as part of an ambitious fleet re- newal program.

The 10,473-gt vessel has a capac- ity of 2,700 dwt. It contains two garages with 2,666 feet of truck lane about 10 feet wide, and a 14.75- foot clearance height, providing space for the equivalent of 50, 52- foot-long trucks. The limitations imposed by the short docking lines in several of the Canary Islands ports where this ferry will operate determined the ship's overall length of 383 feet, making it a ferry with one of the best truck lane/length ratios of those presently in opera- tion, a fact which greatly enhances its profitability. Additionally, the

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is de- signed to transport 300 passengers in business-class seats, another 78 passengers in cabins, and a crew of 39, all in ample, highly comfortable accommodation spaces which in- clude a cafeteria and an outdoor bar. To expedite vehicle handling, the ship is fitted with an efficient access and stowage system — stern ramp door, fore ramp and sliding doors, hoistable ramp/decks in the interior — which reduce the time required for these operations to a minimum.

The excellent maneuverability (the ship can make a full turn in a space less than double her length) is assured by her propulsion/steer- ing system (two high skew propel- lers and two independent servo-rud- ders that can be electronically con- nected) and a 1,000 hp variable- pitch bow-thruster.

The Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is propelled by means of a dual engine/shaft/variable-pitch propel- ler system which gives it a service speed of 16 knots.

The two main engines are 2,640 kW (3,690 hp) at 750 rpm MAN

B&W 12V 28/32 A, built by the

Spanish licenseeE.N. Bazan in their

Cartagena factory.

The ship is also equipped with a high-efficiency fin stabilizer system by Brown Brothers. All the ma- chinery aboard the Las Palmas de

Gran Canaria is engineered for au- tomatic operation, in accordance with the demanding Bureau Veritas class notation AU PORT.

Selma ABB supplied the auto- mation system.

With respect to communications and navigational aids, this is the second ship under the Spanish flag which leaves port in full compliance with the GMDSS requisites for navi- gation in zones Al, A2, A3 and occa- sionally A4 with duplicate equip- ment.

Construction of Las Palmas de

Gran Canaria's sistership, "Santa

Cruz de Tenerife," is well advanced,

September, 1993 and delivery is planned for October.

The manufacturers say the ferry complies with the strictest safety standards, both present and future, particularly with respect to stabil- ity and firefighting facilities. The new ferry "Las Palmas de Gran Canaria."

JOIN FORCES WITH THE BEST

THE NEW GENERATION

OF SCHOTTEL PUMP-JETS

Circle 308 on Reader Service Card

Whether in extremely shallow water applications or as an independent manoeuvring unit on the high seas - the SCHOTTEL Pump-Jet has already been proving its suitability for the main and auxiliary propulsion of all kinds of vessels throughout the world for over ten years. Not content to rest on our laurels, we have optimized this system too, making the design more cost-effective at the same time.

The new generation of SCHOTTEL Pump-Jets is just one of our many competent solutions that the shipping world has come to expect from us as a propulsion and manoeuvring specialist. The

Pump-Jet too is covered by our 24-month warranty from the time of delivery. And we're proud of it!

SCHOTTEL

FOR PROGRESSIVE PROPULSION

SCHOTTEL-North America 1505 Corbin Ave., Hammond, LA 70403, U.S.A.

Phone: (5 04 ) 5 42 53 44 • Fax: (5 04) 5 42 53 47 31