Incat is pleased to announce a ground-breaking contract for two 112 metre high speed vehicle-passenger catamarans for a well-established ferry operator in Japan.
Significantly, this is the customer’s first contract with Incat, and confirms a Letter of Intent signed in January.
At a contract signing ceremony in Tokyo on Saturday 27 May, the Libera Corporation announced the order as part of its on-going business development plan for the expansion of regular passenger services between the two ports of Aomori and Hakodate.
Chairman of Libera, Mr Kenji Yamamoto said “these fast ferries are expected to approximately halve the time currently taken for voyages between Hakodate and Aomori by the existing ships and enhance the convenience of regular passenger services.”
Commenting on the contract from Japan, Incat’s Chairman, Mr Robert Clifford, “We are particularly pleased by this order for our largest vessels yet as it comes from a new customer in an area where we believe there is enormous potential for Incat High Speed Craft.”
“The contract represents a new era for both our companies, with the introduction of large high speed vessels to our customer’s fleet replacing conventional ships, and a new era for Incat as the concentration of our high speed ships to date has primarily been in Europe and the Americas”
Due for delivery in June 2007, the first Evolution One12 112 metre vessel (Incat hull 064) will operate at a speed of approximately 40 knots and will have the capacity to carry up to 800 persons and 412 cars or 520 lane metres of trucks and 286 cars. Delivery of the second vessel to Japan (Incat hull 065) will follow twelve months later in mid 2008.
Incat is also currently fulfilling an order for delivery of a 98 metre vessel (Incat hull 062) to long-standing European client, Acciona Trasmediterranea who already has three Incat vessels in service.
Incat has recently been boosting its current workforce of 400 personnel taking on several former employees and new trainees in addition to employing personnel through several labour hire organisations. Mr John Harris, Managing Director of Incat Tasmania Pty Ltd said “We are continuing to increase our workforce and anticipate a significant increase in our total employment numbers over the coming months.”
Principal particulars
Length overall: 112.60m
Beam (moulded): 30.50m
Draft: approximately 3.93m
Speed: 40 knots
Deadweight: Up to 1450 tonnes
Total persons: 800 persons
Vehicle Deck: 520 truck-lane metres plus 286 cars or 412 cars
