Oman Ferry Hits 55.9 Knots

Austal’s 213 ft. (65 meter) Auto Express catamaran ferry “Shinas”, built for the Sultanate of Oman, has achieved a record service speed of 52 knots during sea trials, making it the fastest diesel-powered vehicle-passenger ferry currently in commercial service. The vessel’s confirmed service speed of 52 knots exceeds contract requirements by one knot, with the vessel also reaching a peak speed of 55.9 knots (103.5 km/h) during its recently completed sea trials. “Shinas” is the first of two identical vessels being built for the Sultanate of Oman at Austal’s facilities in Henderson. The Sultanate’s requirements challenged Austal’s experienced team of Naval Architects to develop a new, customized, high efficiency hull design capable of delivering record-breaking performance, while the construction team which required to meet demanding weight targets. The 213 ft. (65 m.) catamaran adds to Austal’s list of record breaking vessels, which includes the 288.7 ft. (88 m,) Ordered in May 2006, the two vessels are earmarked to become the flagship vessels in the Sultanate’s expanded coastal marine transport network, and will set new standards in performance, comfort, safety and quality of finish. Each vessel will carry 208 passengers and 56 cars along a 180 nautical mile route between Shinas and Oman’s rugged Musandam Peninsular. Both vessels are powered by four MTU 20 cylinder 1163 series diesel engines each producing 6,500 kW and driving Rolls-Royce / Kamewa waterjets. The vessels meet Det Norske Veritas survey requirements and conform to the HSC code. “Shinas” is scheduled to arrive in Oman in February 2008, with her sister vessel to follow in July.