Page 35: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2001)

Main Particulars - Sorolla

Classification Bureau Veritas

Length, o.a 564 ft. (172 m)

Length, bp 515 ft. (157 m)

Breadth 86 ft. (26.2 m)

Depth to main deck 30 ft. (9.2 m)

Design draft 20 ft. (6.2 m)

DWT 5,000

GT 28,275

Passenger capacity 1,000

Passenger cabins 748

RoRo capacity 98 trailers + 165 cars, or 80 trailers + 336 cars

Main engine output 28,960-kW

Service speed 23-knots

Name

Shipbuilder

Ship Type

Owner

Sorolla

Hijos de J. Barreras

RoRo Ferry

Transmediterranea

By David Tinsley

Marking an important stage in the regeneration of the RoRo ferry route network maintained by Com- pania Trasmediterranea, last spring's delivery of the 28,275-gt RoPax Sorolla strengthened the state- owned firm's position in the Balearics trade.

Imbuing both a higher degree of service quality and operational flexibility in an increasingly com- petitive segment of the Mediterranean market,

Sorolla was built at the Vigo yard of Hijos de J.Bar- reras. She underscored the emergence of the Gali- cian shipbuilder as a growing force in RoRo con- struction. Privatized in 1998 through its sale by the erstwhile Astilleros Espanoles (now encapsulated in

IZAR) to a group of Spanish maritime and industri- al interests, Barreras also supplied blueprints for sistership Fortuny to IZAR's Puerto Real yard.

Completed in a build time of just 16 months, the 23-knot Sorolla melds a high grade of accommoda- tion for 1,000 passengers with a RoRo intake of up to 98 trailers plus 165 cars. The garage areas can alternatively stow 80 trailers and 336 cars, or equiv- alent permutations of road freight, vans and cars.

She was assigned to the Barcelona-Palma di Mal- lorca connection, cutting two hours off the previous schedule. Second-of-class Fortuny was subsequent- ly delivered from Puerto Real into the other princi- pal link between the mainland and the islands, the

Valencia/Palma route. The modest draft of 20 ft. (6.2 m) relative to a dwt of 5,000 tons reflects the owner's wish to ensure long-term operating versatil- ity, including accessibility to the Menorcan port of

Mahon.

Sorolla is a testament to Trasmediterranea's drive to raise vessel productivity, increase revenue gener- ation, and meet the growing expectations of freight clients and passengers alike. The grade of accom- modation and range of facilities is in keeping with the owner's decision to introduce a cruise ferry stan- dard to its mainline routes. Cabins have been pro- vided for nearly 75-percent of the total passenger complement, distributed throughout deck 7, while the two decks immediately above include a gymnasium with sauna, swim- ming pool, jacuzzi, solarium, open-air bar, and a saloon disco with bar, dance floor and stage.

All vehicle handling to and from

Sorolla is concentrated through two stern ramp-doors of identical dimensions and capacities, with Trasmediterranea having decided to eschew a drive-through configuration. This has resulted in a finely-faired foreship section compati- ble with the requirement for a relatively high, sus- tainable speed.

Cargo access equipment specialist MacGregor accordingly sought to ensure efficient cargo work- ing and expeditious turnarounds in the absence of a bow door. The axial stern ramps provide an entry point across the full width of the main trailer deck, and fold in the stowed, upright position so that pas- senger can enjoy an unimpeded view from the pub- lic deck spaces and accommodation in the aftship area.

A fixed ramp leads down to the lower hold, with the requisite headroom and strengthening for trail- ers and designation for hazardous items of freight, while the upper RoRo deck and associated, hoistable car deck, is also reached via two fixed ramps at the aft end of the main garage deck. One caters for cars and the other is dimensioned for trail- ers. Peaks in the car-accompanied passenger traf- fic during the summer season are also served by the arrangement of a fixed, intermediate car deck between the after parts of the upper RoRo deck level (deck 5) and deck 7. While the contractual requirement was for a speed of 23-knots, Sorolla achieved 25.2-knots on sea trials at the machinery's 100-percent maximum continuous rating on a draft of 20-ft. (6.2-m), and 24.5-knots at 85-percent mcr.

One of the most popular designs of machinery among the RoRo, ferry and passengership commu- nities, the Finnish-manufactured Wartsila 46, was nominated to power Sorolla. The plant consists of four eight-cylinder models, each delivering a 7,240- kW at 500-rpm, with propulsive effect delivered by two variable pitch propellers made by Navalips through Reintjes reduction gearboxes. Shaft gener- ators driven off the gearsets enhance overall operat- ing efficiency. "Now with leak detection" mum

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December, 2001 35