World’s First High-Speed Ferry Starts Sea Trials

Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania Pty Ltd. has begun sea trials for the world’s first high speed passenger Ro-Ro ship powered by LNG. The 99 metre LNG ship ‘Lopez Mena’ (hull 069) was contracted by South American company Buquebus in November 2010, for operation on their River Plate service between Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo in Uruguay.

The vessel is the first high speed craft built under the British Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft (HSC code) powered by Gas Turbines using LNG as the primary fuel and marine distillate for standby and ancillary use. The vessel, with capacity for almost 1000 passengers plus around 140 cars, is one of the largest, fastest, environmentally cleanest and most efficient high speed catamarans in the world.

Lopez Mena has a projected lightship speed of 53 knots, and an operating speed of 50 knots. According to the motorship report, the vessel has so far comfortably exceeded 50 knots at full power.

Hull 069 is the eighth vessel that Incat has built for Buquebus and represents a huge step in a new era of eco-sustainable heavy duty transportation.

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Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, June 4, 2013