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Singapore operator takes delivery of Flex Ferry trio

Written by Nick Blenkey
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Horizon has chosen to compete on busy Singapore-Batam route on the basis of speed and comfort

NOVEMBER 25, 2014 — Singapore’s Penguin Shipyard International has delivered three 38 m Flex Ferries to their new owner, Horizon Ferries, following successful sea trials in Singapore.

Designed by BMT Nigel Gee of Southampton, England, the the BV-classed, Singapore-flagged monohull ferries have been named Horizon 7, Horizon 8 and Horizon 9.

BMT Nigel Gee says they are among only a handful of high-speed monohull ferries that are fully compliant with the HSC 2000 Code.

The vessels recently commenced operations on the highly competitive route between Singapore and the Indonesian island of Batam.

Instead of competing on ticket prices, Horizon has chosen to differentiate itself from the other ferry operators through the innovative, efficient and economical design of its Flex Ferries, which is the second joint development project by Penguin and BMT Nigel Gee over the last two years.

BMT Nigel Gee developed the full production design for Penguin to construct the three vessels, within a timescale of only 12 months from design commencement to delivery. To meet the aggressive build schedule, the design was developed in close co-ordination between the project partners.

The Flex Ferry is 38.5 min length and 8.7 m in breadth, with a capacity of 238 passengers, including main deck seating for 208 passengers and an upper deck VIP saloon for 30 passengers. There is ample space for luggage stowage on both levels.

The design also features a spacious wheelhouse with excellent all-round visibility and a dedicated crew rest area with comfortable amenities.

The Flex Ferry is powered by three Caterpillar C32 diesel engines driving fixed pitch propellers, which together with the hydrodynamically efficient hull form, enabled the fully loaded vessel to hit speeds of 28 knots at 90% MCR.

The hull design is the result of extensive R&D development by BMT Nigel Gee and has been extensively tank tested to minimize the vessel’s power demand. The result is an extremely low resistance hull claimed to offer unrivaled fuel efficiency for a high-speed ferry in this category.

Overall, the spacious and bright interior, together with low noise levels at high speeds, puts Horizon’s Flex Ferries well ahead of the pack in the Singapore-Batam ferry route — and Horizon has ordered a fourth Flex Ferry to be delivered in the second half of 2015.

“The success of the Flex Ferry reinforces the strong ongoing relationship between BMT Nigel Gee and Penguin. These three vessels demonstrate that the partnership between the two companies can provide high quality vessels within an extremely short timescale.”

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