Mauritius-based shipowner Oceanoi has taken delivery of a new high-speed catamaran ferry from Austal Vietnam.
Maria Galanta Express will be operated by Société de Gestion et de Transport Maritime (SGTM) in the Comoros Islands, situated off the southeastern coast of Africa.
Austal was awarded the AU$15.5 million (US$10.7 million) contract to design and construct the vessel in January 2020. Construction commenced at the company's Vietnam shipyard in Vung Tau in March 2020.
The newbuild has 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 mixed cargo of up to 20 tonnes on two decks.
Fitted with Austal's proprietary motion control system (including active interceptors and T-foils), four MTU 12V2000 M72 engines, and four Kongsberg KaMeWa 56A3 waterjets, the new catamaran achieved 31.9 knots at 100 per cent MCR during sea trials.
