Two new high-speed ferries to be operated by Spanish ferry operator Fred. Olse will be powered by four MTU 20-cylinder 8000 M71L engines each and by Rolls-Royce Kamewa waterjets.
The ferries will be 117 m trimarans, designed by Austal Australia, and are to operate around the Canary Islands along with the world’s largest aluminium fast ferry in operation, the ‘Benchijigua Express’.
A maintenance agreement will also be signed for both new ferries for up to eight years and a maximum of 24,000 hours of operation.
‘Benchijigua Express’ has been in service since 2005 and is also powered by MTU 8000 series engines.
Ivan Fernandez Martinez,Fred.Olsen technical manager, said, “The ‘Benchijigua Express’ is a prestigious vessel in the world of fast ferries. It ticks all the boxes in terms of our high demands for power, speed and passenger satisfaction. On the back of this positive experience we have decided to install MTU engines in our new trimarans as well.
“These engines will be in service round-the-clock, and we need the best possible efficiency and fuel consumption coupled with low levels of downtime. We know MTU can deliver on this. Since being launched into service back in 2005, the ‘Benchijigua Express’ hasn’t had a single passage cancelled by engine issues,” he claimed.
Matthias Vogel, Rolls-Royce Power Systems’ Executive Vice President, Service, Network & Business Development, said: “We’re delighted to have been chosen to supply the engines for Fred. Olsen’s new trimarans now as well. We will continue to provide superb customer service. Our MTU maintenance agreement is a very important tool in meeting these standards.
“Fred. Olsen is planning to finalize a similar contract for the new vessels. By so doing, we are ensuring that expert staff, spare parts and tools will be on hand – on location – when any maintenance is required. We are also taking the financial risk for planned maintenance and unplanned downtime,” he said.
Fred. Olsen is also renewing the ‘Benchijigua Express’ MTU maintenance agreement for the third time. The first agreement was signed back in 2004 when the ferry was still under construction.
The two new vessels are being designed and built by Australian shipyard Austal, which was also responsible for designing the ‘Benchijigua Express’.
Ben Marland, Austal’s Vice President Sales and Marketing, said: “After working together so successfully on the ‘Benchijigua Express’, we’re partnering once more with Rolls-Royce for Fred. Olsen’s two new state-of-the-art 117 m trimarans. In all, we’ve now built 12 high-speed ferries equipped with MTU Series 8000 engines, plus many other MTU-powered vessels.
“These units boast high power density, so when coupled with our unique trimaran hull form, you get super-efficient ferry performance – allowing customers to carry more passengers, cars or trucks at higher speeds and lower cost,” he said.
Each of the four engines in the new ferries will deliver 9,100 kW of power at 1,150 rev/min. The trimarans will be able to accommodate over 1,100 pax and up to 276 cars, and will be able to travel at speeds of up to 38 knots.
Both ferries are to be delivered and undergo commissioning in 2020.
