Page 9: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2001)

The safety features of the proposed vessel design are enhanced by the degree of cargo compartmentalization, the resistance of the Coselle unit to external load impact, and the fact that CNG is a gas, not a cryogenic liquid, like LNG.

University.

The shipyard proponent has sought to demonstrate that a WISE vessel of a useful size could be designed and constructed with technology that is already avail- able to a shipbuilder. Through the opportunity provided

Fast RoPax Contender from U.K.

The dramatic contraction in U.K. shipbuilding over the past quarter-century has served to high- light the resilience of the industry's remaining players. At the recent Fast 2001 event held in

Southampton by The Royal Institution of Naval

Architects, a new mark of industrial resolve was afforded by Vosper Thornycroft's display of a model of an exceptionally long RoRo catamaran that the Hampshire company has under develop- ment. As well as pushing back the bounds in cata- maran ferry length, the stylish new vessel signals a plan by the predominantly naval builder to expand commercial shipbuilding.

Envisioned as a 'next generation' RoPax vessel, using a Wave Piercer Catamaran (WPC) plat- form, the concept has been given initial form at a length of 476 ft. (145-m), offering payload capac- ities up to 1,650-tons at speeds from 30 to 40- knots.

Australian know-how in fast, lightweight vessel technology is reflected in the advanced design supplied by Incat Designs as the basis for the technical project, to which Vosper Thornycroft is marrying its skills in shipbuilding construction, engineering, ride control systems, and shipboard electronics, together with planned and through- life maintenance programs.

In the bid for economy with speed, an all-diesel power plant burning heavy fuel oil has been nom- inated for the RoPax, with the designers favoring

Wartsila's relatively new 38B medium-speed design in a four-engine configuration. Depending on whether 12-, 16- or 18-cylinder models are used, in accordance with actual speed and pay- load combination criteria, overall power concen- tration would be in the range of about 34,800- 52,200 kW (47,300-71,000 bhp).

The ability to carry heavy freight vehicles and containerized goods as well as cars and passen- gers, and to efficiently vary transit speeds in accordance with fluctuations in traffic demand and mix, improves the year-round economics of the fast ferry. Twin objectives of robustness and lightweight would be met by adopting an alu- minum alloy superstructure atop a high tensile steel hull. Allowing for naval tonnage commit- ments, VT is ready to deliver such a vessel by the 2004 season, from a new facility in Portsmouth.

Debut for A WISE Craft

Japan's unerring commitment to research into innovative maritime technology also found expression at the Fast 2001 conference by way of a status report on a project for a small, wing-in- surface effect (WISE), fast passenger craft. As the first such passenger transport vessel in Japan, the prototype is being trailed on a 16-km route across Shinji-ko Lake, in western Honshu, and has the look and characteristics of an airplane.

Whereas much of the long-term development research in Japan is government-sponsored, the

WISE project is a private undertaking financially supported by Fukushima Shipbuilding, and drawing on developmental input from Tottori

October, 2001 44C

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