Noumea orders second Austal ferry

The ferry is principally intended for operation between Noumea and Amadee Island, but will also service other locations on New Caledonia’s south and west coasts. The new vessel will be joining the Austal-built Mary D Dolphin, which has transported more than 300,000 passengers on the Amadee Island route since its delivery in 1998.

The 138-passenger ferry will be powered by three MTU 12V2000 engines coupled to Hamilton waterjets, giving a speed of 34 knots. It will be built at Austal’s Western Australian facility and is scheduled for delivery in November 2011.

The new vessel is said to be one of only a few monohull ferries that are fully compliant with the IMO High Speed Craft (HSC) Code 2000. The operator considers the order to be a significant step in modernising its fleet and in maintaining compliance with French regulations that require adoption of the full HSC Code on all high speed vessels flying the French flag.