Austal delivers Danish catamaran ferry
‘Leonora Christina’, Austal’s largest catamaran ferry to date
Western Australian shipbuilder Austal says that its largest catamaran built to date, the 113m ‘Leonora Christina’, has been handed over by Austal’s Henderson yard to her Danish owners.
The ship was constructed for Danish ferry company Færgen (formerly known as Nordic Ferry Services) and on arrival in Denmark in June will be operated by Faergen subsidiary Bornholmer Færgen, joining the 86m Austal-built catamaran Villum Clausen, which has been transporting vehicles and passengers between Ronne on the Danish island of Bornholm and Ystad in Sweden since 2000.
Designed for service speeds of up to 40 knots, Leonora Christina is powered by four MAN 20V28/33D engines, each rated at 9100kW MCR and each driving a Rolls Royce KaMeWa 125 SIII waterjet.
The wheelhouse was ergonomically designed and features, alongside the control and navigation consoles, a fully integrated monitoring and control system featuring Austal’s Marine Link system which enables the engineers to monitor and control the vessels safety, propulsion, generating and other operationally critical systems.
The three vehicle decks offer a capacity of 300 truck lane metres, or a maximum of 357 cars, which are accessible via both bow and stern ramps, to keep turnaround times to a minimum. Hoistable vehicle decks provide the flexibility to carry a mix of cars and freight. The garage area is equipped with lightweight structural fire protection, zoned sprinkler systems and hydrants.
Austal was awarded the contract to build “Leonora Christina” in April 2009, following a competitive tender process, in which Austal says its in-house design team developed a customised vessel design that met all of Færgen’s requirements for the route. An important requirement was the ability to share ferry berths with the existing smaller Villum Clausen. Leonora Christina has been built to comply with stringent Danish regulations, covering environmental noise, wave-wash and exhaust emissions.
The interior design and outfitting is said to maintains the general Scandinavian high standards safety, comfort and quality of finish. Seating, supplied by Beurteaux, for 1,400 passengers is spread over the upper and bridge decks, which make full use of natural lighting and light-coloured timber. The catering facilities are designed to help maintain the operator’s high standards and claimed good reputation, and other passenger facilities include a playroom and wheelchair accessibility.
Senior captain Soren Schow, of Bornholmer Færgen, will command the 22 day voyage from Western Australia to Denmark along with a crew of 12, and has commented that he looks forward to Leonora Christina commencing operations in mid-June 2011. “Having spent a significant amount of time at Austal during the construction of Leonora Christina, I am confident that this vessel will perform well and exceed the expectations of the Bornholm public. After participating in recent sea trials, I am satisfied that Leonora Christina has fulfilled its speed requirements, while its proven seakeeping capabilities will ensure maximum passenger comfort throughout the 90 minute journey from Bornholm to Ystad,” said Schow.
Austal Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Bellamy, congratulated employees at Austal’s Henderson shipyard on the completion of “Leonora Christina”, commenting that the vessel will soon be the pride of Bornholmer Færgen’s fleet.
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