Wight Shipyard delivers 250-passenger Danube river catamaran

FEBRUARY 5, 2019 — Britain’s Wight Shipyard Co has delivered a major export order: A 250-passenger river catamaran for Central Danube Region Marketing & Development GmbH’s Twin City Liner – a tourist service running on the River Danube between Vienna and Bratislava, joining two European capital cities.

Delivery of the 39.99 m x 11.4 m cat follows a productive 2018 for the Isle of Wight shipyard with successful deliveries of a second 41 m high speed passenger ferry to Red Funnel and a 21 m day cruise catamaran to Scotland’s Jacobite Cruises.

“Our reputation for building the finest high speed ferries in the world is spreading, making the prospects for Wight Shipyard look healthy,” says Wight Shipyard CEO Peter Morton. “Our strong order book is a big vote of confidence for our Isle of Wight shipwrights, the marine industry and indeed the U.K. economy.”

The new vessel is a low wash round bilge catamaran designed by Incat Crowther. The Danube presents a challenging operating environment with currents up to 8 knots and water depths in the main navigation channel as low as 100 cm. The hullform is designed to cope with water conditions reasonably expected on the river, being able to resist floating timber and debris. As a restricted waterway it is imperative that wave wash is minimized.

Passengers board the new craft via midship doors port and starboard and enter a bright and airy main cabin capable of seating up to 186 passengers. A kiosk providing a range of snacks and refreshments is provided aft on the starboard side. On the port side toilets are provided one of which is for disabled customers.

Above, the upper deck is accessed from a center staircase in the main cabin as well as two staircases aft on the open deck. External seating will be provided for 29 passengers while aft of the elevated wheelhouse interior seating is available for 35 passengers. As the catamaran is a commuter ferry as well as a cruise vessel, there will be space for 12 bikes on the aft deck.

In the hulls, the engine rooms are designed to provide crews with maximum access with all machinery arranged in the same space. The engine rooms as well as the jet rooms are designed so the engines, generators and water jets can be removed without slipping the vessel or damaging the superstructure or hull.

The vessel is powered by four Scania DI16 072M main engines, each producing 809 kW at 2,300 rpm. Capable of reaching a maximum speed of 38 knots, the vessel will sail on the Danube at a service speed of 32.4 knots at modest MCR.

“Since 2006 Central Danube Region Marketing & Development GmbH has been operating successfully with more than 148,000 passengers experiencing the service between Vienna and Bratislava each year using two high speed catamarans,” says Dr Gerd Krämer, Managing Director of Twin City Liner. “With the new vessel from Wight Shipyard Co we want to extend the success story of Twin City Liner for the next 25 years. Customer experience is key to our business and with our new catamaran we are promising our passengers an even more exciting and enjoyable time on the Danube River.

The new vessel has been delivered in good time for the 2019 summer season, starting at the end of March.