Outstanding performance on sea trials

The vessels built by Henderson, Australia, based Austal are designed to carry 405 passengers at speeds of more than 37 knots. They are intended to help reduce road congestion in Trinidad and Tobago by establishing a water taxi service between San Fernando and Port of Spain in southwest Trinidad. All four ferries achieved a trial speed above the contract requirement during sea trials.

Austal’s design is based on its 41 metre catamaran platform, two of which have been successfully operating in Norway with leading operator OVDS since 2003. Passenger seating onboard each vessel is split over two levels, with the main passenger deck featuring four passenger entry points, a central kiosk and dedicated baggage compartment and bike racks. The vessels are powered by four MTU 16V2000 M72 engines each driving Kamewa waterjets and are fitted with Austal Ride Control to ensure passenger comfort.
When fully operational the water taxi service is expected to facilitate the transport over 7500 passengers in a normal working day and will be integrated with other transport systems. With a combined capacity of 1620 passengers, the four Austal high speed catamarans will reduce travel times between North and South Trinidad by almost one quarter.
The vessels are being constructed at Austal’s Australian facilities and will be transported to Trinidad and Tobago via heavy lift ships in coming months.