Page 15: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2001)

in the upper deck when not deployed, forming a watertight closure. Hoisting and lowering is affected by means of a wire system anchored at the deckhead, passing around sheaves and attached to pulling cylinders mounted within the ramp structure.

A hallmark of the preceding series of vessels delivered to Cenargo was the thoroughness with which the design was developed in respect of pertaining and foreseen regulations relating to passen- ger-carrying ferries. Accordingly, fea- tures such as flood control doors and associated, half-height longitudinal bulkheads have been perpetuated in

Murillo.

The jalousie-type, MacGregor flood control doors are arranged at the fore and aft ends of the longitudinal bulk- heads which run for about half the length of the main deck, bordering the lanes on to which the tiltable ramps land. In the deployed position, the jalousie doors form barriers between each half-height bulkhead and the side shell, and are watertight at their base and vertical sides. When open, the flood doors stow parallel to the deckhead. ensuring unobstructed internal RoRo cargo movement and distribution via the hoistable ramps.

In the Dawn Merchant series, Cenargo chose to leave the underdeck spaces void, in keeping with the short-haul, fast-turnaround nature of its Norse Mer- chant Ferries' operating network. How- ever, in Murillo's case, the lower hold volume has been used to augment rev- enue-earning capacity. By incorporating two short car deck levels in the under- deck areas available in the foreship sec- tion, the designers have provided an extra 396 car lane-m to supplement the 1.900 trailer lane-m on the main and upper decks. Fixed ramps are arranged between the main deck and deck 2, and between deck 2 and the tank top.

Another key difference that will influ- ence the working of the ship in relation to the modus operandi applied to the

British series is the concentration of all

RoRo traffic movements on and off

Murillo across a stern ramp. By compar- ison, the Cenargo sisters were delivered in drive-through configuration. Once again, the requirement for both bow and stern door access in the previous series was determined by the nature of the

Irish Sea and English Channel trades, where rapid turnarounds in port and high ship productivity are operational and commercial necessities.

The Spanish vessel's hydraulically- actuated stern ramp/door has been con- structed in one main section, hinged at the stern threshold and incorporating shore-end flaps and internal bridge plates to ensure smooth vehicle transi- tion. Its overall length is 57 ft. (17.5 m). and the stern opening provides a free height of 17 ft. (5.2 m) and clear breadth of 59 ft. (18 m) for freight.

Murillo has a longer superstructure than the earlier ships from Seville, since it has been fitted with accommodation for 546 passengers, more than double that incorporated in the Dawn Merchant class, and a factor of the different trad- ing scenarios and operational objectives of the respective owners. Cabin berths are provided for a total of 396 passen- gers, including 300 in four-berth cabins and 76 in two-berth cabins.

A Wartsila-Lips package encompass- ing main and auxiliary engines, and shafts and propellers has been supplied to the new Trasmediterranea vessel.

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