FMBA wins another cat order

Aboitiz-owned shipbuilder FMBA Marine Inc. in the western Cebu town of Balamban, Philippines, has signed a contract to build another catamaran ferry for a company in New Caledonia in the South Pacific. This follows a contract the shipbuilder won last month to build a catamaran ferry for a Scottish company.

FMBA is building the a 57.80 metre aluminium fast catamaran passenger vehicle ferry designed by BMT Nigel Gee Ltd., a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd., for SAS Sudiles of New Caledonia. The newbuilding will carry 356 passengers and 10 cars and have a top speed of 32 knots.

“This is an extremely important and exciting project for both FMA and the fast ferry industry. This new catamaran design pushes back conventional boundaries and provides the operator with a more fuel efficient platform with excellent sea keeping capabilities,” said Craig Patrick, sales and marketing manager of FBMA Marine in a press statement.

The new ferry will replace the existing ferry at Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia and will operate on the same infrastructure route connecting Noumea to the outlying islands of Iles des Pins, Mare, Lifou and Ouvea.

“We look forward to working with SAS Sudiles and continuing to meet all their vessel requirements. We are also very pleased to be partnering with BMT, drawing on our considerable experience of building aluminium and steel catamarans and other craft here in Cebu,” said Craig. He said the contract was awarded after a lengthy and in-depth international tender process.

Craig said the new vessel will address Sudiles’ prime need for a fuel-efficient vessel giving exceptional sea keeping and passenger comfort in the challenging sea conditions of the South Pacific. The first collaborative design from FBMA and BMT exceeded Sudiles’ requirements. BMT’s hull design has been developed from the highly successful ModCAT hull form used initially for the extremely effective SeaFighter, a 73-metre catamaran built for the US Navy.

“This has been a very challenging requirement but is a project ideally suited to our specialist vessel design expertise. Our successful development of the ModCAT hull form will provide a very robust, proven platform for a very extreme operating environment,” said technical director Ed Dudson of BMT Nigel Gee Ltd.