Sydney Harbour Incat Crowther-Designed Ferry Launched

Incat Crowther announce the launch of the 'Elizabeth Cook', a 24m catamaran passenger ferry built by Richardson Devine Marine, designed to operate in Sydney Harbour, Australia for Captain Cook Cruises, a subsidiary of Sealink Marine.

Incat Crowther say thay they worked closely with Sealink to develop a vessel that offers exceptional value to the operator, with tangible measures taken to reduce both capital investment and running costs. In addition to low fuel usage, machinery selection and systems design focused on reducing ongoing maintenance costs. The result is a vessel with exception per-passenger capital and running costs.

Elizabeth Cook is certified to carry 127 passengers in coastal operation and 198 passengers in harbour operation. She is powered by a pair of Scania DI13 070M main engines, and the vessel performed strongly in recent trials. In a fully loaded service condition, Elizabeth Cook cruises effortlessly and efficiently at 25 knots, with a top speed is in excess of 28 knots.

The passenger catamaran features a main passenger cabin with seats for 116 passengers. A further 27 seats are located on the aft deck. Toilets are located adjacent to the stairs to the upper deck. Large hinged engine hatches provide ample access to the engine rooms for day-to-day maintenance tasks.

Boarding gates are located on the foredeck, with particular attention paid to the visibility of these from the wheelhouse. Behind the wheelhouse, an open upper deck has seats for 55 passengers, with ample space for passengers to stand and view the sights.

Incat Crowther add that the success of this project has led Sealink Marine to commission two further vessels, the keels of which were recently laid at Richardson Devine Marine.