Spanish ferry line to commission new Incat vessel

Las Palmas-based Naviera Armas has taken delivery of a new 111m-long ferry, Volcan de Tagaro, built by Incat Tasmania and the fifth Incat vessel to join the company’s fleet. The high-speed vessel is currently in the South Pacific Ocean on a voyage from Hobart to Spain via the Panama Canal. It will be deployed on Spanish routes, the ferry company said, including the Canary Islands.

With a capacity for 1,200 persons, 595 truck lane metres and 219 cars, the vessel is powered by four MAN 20V diesel engines driving Wärtsilä water jets. During sea trials, speeds of more than 42 knots were achieved at 600dwt, comfortably in excess of the ship’s loaded speed required for the Spanish routes. 

“We are seeing an unprecedented level of interest in both large and small aluminium ferries at present and have expectation of operating at maximum capacity for a number of years,” declared Incat CEO, Tim Burnell. “The contract, in excess of AUSD 100 million (USD 69 million) to Incat has also provided significant income to suppliers and subcontractors.”

Incat’s Prince of Wales shipyard has three large vessels and a 35m-long commuter ferry currently under construction. Meanwhile, the company’s design team is working on the drawings of the largest catamaran built by the company so far – a 130m-long vessel that will operate on a route between Argentina and Uruguay.