Integrated system for high speed craft
The bridge of Austal 107m catamaran ‘Jean De La Valette’
Kelvin Hughes reports that among the latest installations of its integrated bridge equipment is a system onboard the 107m Austal-built catamaran 'Jean De La Valette', which is due to enter service with Maltese operator Virtu Ferries.
The Auto Express catamaran features a suite of Kelvin Hughes bridge equipment, including MantaDigital radar and ECDIS. The package includes both conventional magnetron and high performance solid state SharpEye S-band radar sensors.
The equipment was supplied by Kelvin Hughes’ Australian representative, AMI Marine International. According to AMI, all fast ferries that are now being built in Australia to the HS Code feature Kelvin Hughes' radars.
SharpEye solid-state S-band radars have additionally been ordered for two more catamaran ferries being built by Austal for Caribbean operator L’Express des Iles.
The Jean De La Valette is the largest high speed catamaran built at Austal’s Henderson facility and is its 24th commercial delivery to the Mediterranean region. The vessel will operate on Virtu Ferries’ inter-island service between Malta and Italy, and is designed to carry 800 passengers and 156 cars (or 45 cars and 342 truck lane metres) at an operational speed of up to 40 knots. It will join Virtu Ferries’ existing 68m vehicle-passenger ferry Maria Dolores which was delivered by Austal in 2006.
According to Spike Hughes, Kelvin Hughes' commercial equipment director, the SharpEye solid-state radar is particularly suitable for use with the MantaDigital display technology and enhanced target detection on high speed vessels.
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