Austal has been awarded a AU$15.5 million (US$10.7 million) contract for a new high-speed catamaran vessel for Comoros ferry operator SGTM.
The vessel will have an LOA of 41.2 metres, a beam of 10.9 metres, a draught of two metres, a range of approximately 370 nautical miles, and capacity for 400 passengers and up to 20 tonnes of cargo. Four MTU 12V2000 M72 engines will deliver a speed of 31.5 knots.
Construction will begin at Austal's Vietnam shipyard in March 2020 with delivery of the vessel expected approximately one year later.
The newbuilding will be the second Austal vessel to join the SGTM fleet after the 1997-built 58-metre ferry Marine View, which was acquired secondhand in 2013.