Midship Marine building two 25 m cats

OCTOBER 4, 2012 — Midship Marine’s Harvey, La., shipyard is building two Incat Crowther design 25 m catamaran passenger ferries to operate in St Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

They feature a half-height wheelhouse allowing a completely open upper passenger deck with seating for 72 passengers while the main deck passenger cabin will be fitted with seats for 131, plus a pair of wheelchair spaces.

The aft deck houses an ADA compliant toilet and luggage racks. Boarding will be via fold down ramps situated on all four corners of the vessel.

Designed and built to USCG Subchapter K, these boats will meet the recent updates to fire and safety regulations (NVIC 9-97 Change 1) requiring the protection of the embarkation and muster stations from the effects of fire and flooding. To meet these regulations, the vessels will be fitted with A-class structural fire protection and fire doors to the main passenger cabin.

The vessels will be powered by a pair of Caterpillar C32 ACERT main engines, each producing 1,300hp. The vessels will have a loaded service speed of 27 knots, and a maximum speed in excess of 30 knots. The required speed of 30 knots will be achieved at 75 percent MCR.

Length Overall: 26.4 m
Length Waterline: 23.3 m
Beam: 7.75 m
Draft Max: 2.05 m
Draft Hull: 1.3 m
Depth: 2.95 m
Passengers: 200
Crew: 4
Fuel: 3 800 liters
Fresh Water: 750 liters
Sullage: 750 liters
Service Speed: 27 knots
Maximum Speed: 30 knots
Main Engines: 2 x Caterpillar C32 ACERT
Installed Power: 2 x 970 kW (1300hp) @ 2100rpm
Propulsion: 2 x Propeller
Generators: 2 x NL M6502.25 65 kW
Construction Material: Marine Grade Aluminium
Flag: U.S. Virgin Islands
Class: USCG Subchapter K