Tanzanian ferry company Azam Marine has unveiled the design of its latest 45-metre catamaran passenger ferry.
It will be the seventh vessel built for the operator by Australia's Richardson Devine Marine. The 500-passenger, 35-knot vessel features the operator's trademark parallel boarding system, whereby five ramps per side load passengers and cargo in segregated flows.
VIP passengers board directly into a discreet stair tower to the upper deck cabin, and economy passengers load separately aft and midships. The fifth ramp is dedicated to luggage trolley movements.
The vessel will seat 247 passengers in its main deck economy cabin, 72 VIP passengers and 24 "royal class" passengers on the mid deck, with the remainder being economy passengers in separate areas over three decks.
Powered by a pair of Cummins engines, the vessel also features a third-deck wheelhouse that allows panoramic windows forward on the mid-deck.
