Incat Delivers New Ferry to Spanish Naviera Armas

Australian shipbuilder Incat has handed over a newly built ferry to Spanish operator Naviera Armas. 

The 111-meter-long vessel, named Volcan de Tagoro, departed Hobart on July 16 for Spain, Incat informed.

The newbuild completed sea trials over the past few days and loaded fuel and supplies for the delivery voyage to Spain. The delivery will be via Auckland, across the Pacific Ocean to Tahiti and the Panama Canal before crossing the Atlantic on its way to Spain.

Naviera Armas SA will operate the vessel on Spanish routes, including the Canary Islands. Volcan de Tagoro will be the fifth Incat vessel operating in the Armas fleet, however, it is the company’s first newbuild from Incat Tasmania.

Volcan de Tagoro has a capacity for 1,200 persons, including crew, and the expansive vehicle deck allows for almost 600 TLM (595 truck lane metres) plus 219 cars, or in car-only mode it can accommodate 401 cars.

The ship is powered by four MAN 20V diesel engines driving Wartsila waterjets. The newbuild reached over 42 knots with 600 tonnes deadweight during speed trials, achieving its contract speed and the loaded service 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. The contract, in excess of AUD 100 million to Incat has also provided significant income to suppliers and sub-contractors,” Tim Burnell, Incat CEO, commented.

Incat’s Prince of Wales Bay shipyard is continuing construction of three large vessels plus a 35-meter commuter ferry the Geelong Flyer which will operate between Geelong and Docklands in Melbourne from early December.

The next vessel to be delivered is a 100-meter ship for Trinidad and Tobago to be completed in 2020, followed by another 111-meter ship for a European operator in 2021.

The design team at Incat and Revolution Design are also designing a 130-meter catamaran for service between Argentina and Uruguay, that will be the largest ship Incat has contracted.