Aker Finnyards to build ferry

Aker Finnyards and the G A Ferries in Greece have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the construction of a ropax ferry which is intended for use on shorter international routes and Greek domestic routes.

The new vessel, to be delivered in spring 2001, will be 150m in length with a breadth of 25m. The main machinery will consist of four diesel engines providing a total output of 50,000kW (67,025 bhp), which will provide the newbuilding with a speed of 29 knots.

The LOI also includes an option for another vessel and, if exercised, would be of tremendous importance to Aker Finnyards, which was on the point of laying off some of its workforce at the time that the initial order was confirmed.