Tourism operator Mary D Enterprises has selected Austal to design and construct a 35-metre high-speed monohull passenger ferry, the second Austal-built vessel for the Noumea-based company.
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, and will carry 138 passengers on two decks.
The new vessel will be one of only a small number of monohull ferries that are fully compliant with the International Maritime Organisation High Speed Craft (HSC) Code 2000.
This is a significant step for Mary D Enterprises in modernising its fleet and in maintaining compliance with French regulations that now require adoption of the full HSC Code on all high-speed vessels flying the French Flag.
The 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.