Damen delivers fast cats to three Korean ferry operators

The first vessel, the SeaStar 5, was delivered earlier this year to existing Damen customer Seaspovill,

Built at Damen Shipyards Singapore, the SeaStar 5 is a DFF 4212 ferry, 42.2 m in length with a beam of 11.6 m built to carry 450 people between Gangneung on the east coast of South Korea and the island of Ulleung-Do.

High levels of comfort characterize the passenger spaces, which are distributed over the main deck, which can accommodate 306 persons, and the upper deck, which caters for 144.

Powered by four MTU main engines (16V2000 M72), Sea Star 5 can reach speeds exceeding 40 knots.

The second delivery this year came in May, when operator Daezer Shipping took delivery of a DFFe 4212 named Sunrise. Delivered within three months of ordering, the vessel has the same powering arrangement and same speed capability as the SeaStar 5.

Sunrise is currently operating a route of very popular tourist destinations on Koreas East-coast from the island of Ulleung to Dokdo.

As a relatively new ferry operator and new customer to Damen, this recent acquisition has seen Daezer increase service offering in the region.

The third delivery of the year took place in late August when  the Queen Star 2 was delivered to established operator Seaworld Express Ferry Co. for operation on a three-hour route from Usuyoung Port to the popular tourist destination of Jeju Island via Chujado Island.

This is the first delivery of Damen's newly designed DFFe 4010 with a controllable pitch propeller (CPP), providing increased fuel efficiency at different speeds and loading conditions.

Although slightly smaller than the DFFe 4212, the DFFe 4010 can accommodate to the same amount of 450 maximum passengers and with two engines instead of four; the vessel can still reach a top speed of 35 knots.