VESSEL REVIEW | Express 5 – Denmark’s Molslinjen acquires fast large Ro-Pax

Austal Philippines has handed over a new catamaran Ro-Pax ferry to Danish operator Molslinjen.

A follow-up order to the 109-metre high-speed catamaran Express 4, which was delivered to Molslinjen in January 2019, the new vessel is named Express 5. It has an LOA of 115 metres, a moulded beam of eight metres, a maximum draught of 3.3 metres, a deadweight of 1,000, and four LNG-compatible medium speed diesel engines that could potentially be upgraded to run entirely on LNG in the future. The four-stroke engines are fed by two 65,100-litre tanks and drive waterjets via Reintjes SVA L950 gearboxes.

The newbuild can sail at speeds of up to 40 knots as proven during sea trials, though the service speed for regular operations will be limited to 37 knots. Even during fast transits, noise and vibration in the passenger decks are minimised.

The ferry has capacity for 1,610 passengers plus 22 crewmembers and up to 617 lane metres of vehicle cargo and other freight. Facilities include a bistro, bars, and a children's play area. The passenger spaces feature leather-appointed reclining seats with USB charging ports, wifi connectivity, and multiple audio-visual screens.

The vessel also has Austal's proprietary motion control and smart monitoring systems that help deliver a smoother journey for passengers and crew. The motion control system uses an array of hull-mounted sensors to monitor vessel motion while an advanced algorithm computes the correct amount of damping forces that need to be generated by a set of hydraulically-powered T-foils installed on the lower hull sections.

Thanks to the system's high processing speeds, the T-foils are able to continually adjust and apply the minimum required amount of damping forces to control pitch and roll at all speed settings and under a broad range of operating conditions. This results in the vessel's attitude being kept as level as possible even when encountering rough sea conditions.

The motion control system can be remotely monitored via the crew's mobile devices, though the ferry has a backup engineer control station with an operator override function. This feature will enable the crew to take full manual control of the T-foils during emergencies.

Express 5 was designed in compliance to DNV class rules. Its operating route will be between Ronne, Denmark, and Ystad, Sweden.

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