UK yard delivers largest Tricat

The UK yard of FBM Marine has delivered its largest ever Tricat fast ferry to Greek owner Agapitos Lines.

The 53m Sea Speed 1 is an elongated version of FBM?s well-proven TriCat 45, the first of which was built in 1995. Last year FBM built a TriCat 45, Athina 2004 for Goutos Lines, Athens. This was the builder?s first reference for the Greek market.

The Greek government is about to grant a series of permits to operate new routes, and Agapitos Lines plans to deploy Sea Speed 1 on one such route between Piraeus and the eastern Cyclades islands, as soon as an Operating Licence has been granted.

The hull and deck are constructed in low maintenance marine grade aluminium allow to BS 1470 5083 H116 plate and 6082 T6 extrusions. Watertight bulkheads in the hulls are incorporated to meet two compartment flooding cases.

The superstructure is a hybrid composite of aluminium alloy and fibre reinforced plastics (FRP). Welded stiffened aluminium alloy decking is laid over ?I? section beams and longitudinaly girders supported by pillars. Lightweight FRP fairings are laid over the aluminium superstructures fore and aft to provide the profile of the craft.

Access for the 450 passengers is provided port and starboard, and at the stern. The economy class lounge on the main deck can seat 346 passengers, and also has a food servery and toilets, and the main passenger embarkation points to port and starboard, roughly amidships.

The upper deck has seating for 101 first class passengers, with its own servery and galley, and toilets, plus a small five-seater VIP lounge to port abaft the bridge.

Two Caterpillar Solar Taurus gas turbines, output 4,444kW (5,955 bhp) at 13,000 rev/min at 25 deg C. A high-speed Kopflex cardan shaft is fitted between each gas turbine and the 17.58:1 ratio reduction gearbox. Each engine has its own dedicated LCD control display and the engineer?s position on the bridge. If one display fails, the remaining one can be used to control both engines.

Each gas turbine powers a Kamewa S90 waterjet. Kamewa also provides the hydraulic system to operate the steering deflectors and the reverse buckets. Kamewa?s electronic system controls and monitor both waterjets via four stations. Two are on the bridge at the Captain and first officer?s positions, and one on each bridge wing for docking operations. Local emergency control can be achieved in each engine room.

On sea trials the vessel attained a speed of 41 knots with a clean hull, and 60t loading, in calm water, and a 25 deg C air temperature. This speed was achieved with the ride control T-foils deployed, when these are not deployed, the speed increases by 1 knot.

The design is capable of operating comfortably at full power in 1.5m significant wave height in head seas.