Page 22: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 2002)

investment in Design j By David Tinsley

The Double Ended Ferry — (Norwegian Styl e

I • '

Norwegian endeavors to revolutionize the double- ended ferry concept have reached an important new stage with the confirmation of an opening order for the innovative FerryCat design to serve a busy route on the country's fjord-indented coastline.

Developed by Fjellstrand, one of the European foun- tainheads of fast catamaran ferry technology, the Fer- ryCat 120 offers a much higher speed and improved power efficiency relative to conventional double- enders. It promises a service speed up to 22-knots compared with the 11-15 knots typical of existing,

Norwegian fjord ferries, with all, which implies for productivity and fleet requirements.

Service users will benefit from shorter transit times, quicker embarkation and disembarkation and a more comfortable journey. FerryCat will enable Rogaland

Trafikkselskap, the first company to endorse the design, to cut the crossing time on the commuter route between Stavanger and Tau to 25 minutes from the pre- sent 45 minutes. Furthermore, the vessel will allow the operator to phase out two existing, traditional double- enders, while maintaining a schedule based on depar- tures every half-hour.

Central to the performance attributes of the FerryCat is an all-aluminum, catamaran hull form in combina- tion with hydrodynamically integrated propulsors. As well as providing Fjellstrand with a breakthrough deal for a vessel type, which denotes a new direction in pro- duction at its Omastrand yard, the Rogaland contract also represents the first commercial success for the

Ulstein Aquamaster azipull azimuth thruster.

A product of the considerable Scandinavian dimen- sion to U.K.-owned Rolls-Royce Marine, azipull is dis- tinguished by a pulling propeller turning ahead of the streamlined leg, giving the proven advantages of an azimuth thruster in maneuvering with the bonus of optimization for speeds in the 16-24 knot range. Due to be handed over in April 2003, the $22.4-million Fer- ryCat 120 will have an azipull unit at each 'corner'.

While a joystick system will enable the master to con- trol all four propulsors with a single movement, the units will be completely independent, such that the vessel could remain operable with a sin- gle azipull working.

Rogaland's mold-breaking ferry will convey a maximum 400-passengers and 112-cars. or a mix of vehicles having axle loads up to 15 tons. The design thereby encapsulates a comparatively large capacity and deck area within main dimen- sions of 262 x 66 ft. (80 x 20 m), a small dis- placement in relation to deadweight, and high transport efficiency. By comparison, traditional double-ended ferries are heavy displacement craft, having a large structural weight relative to carrying capacity.

A central console has the navigation system, steering, controls and monitoring equipment placed in a logical layout. When the ferry's direction of travel is changed, the entire console including seats swings through 180- degrees to face the other way. The result is good visi- bility regardless of course and the elimination of dupli- cated systems. The lightweight aluminum construction not only makes for a faster vessel but also improves acceleration and deceleration properties.

A spur to the development of the FerryCat was the strategic decision by the Norwegian Public Roads

Administration to increase the departure frequency of ferries on trunk highway routes in the country's fjord service infrastructure.

Obviously, though, the concept holds good for appli- cations elsewhere.

Although born into the Finnish environment, and regarded as a symbol of Finnish innovation in maritime technology, the Double Acting Tanker (DAT) concept is drawing added strength from its exposure to Japan- ese shipbuilding know-how. The DAT principle, whereby a ship is designed to run astern in heavy ice conditions while remaining hydrodynamically efficient for forward propulsion in open water, is being har- nessed in a new generation of Baltic crude carriers ordered by Fortum Oil & Gas. Shipbuilding contractor

Sumitomo Heavy Industries entrusted research firm

SSPA Sweden with model tests for the two Afrabalt tankers, and the Japanese firm's hydrodynamics team (continued on page 51)

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