Commercial News - AMSA Ferry for Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Australian naval architecture firm Incat Crowther has announced the launch of Cahaya Baru

, a 20m catamaran ferry that will operate in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Constructed by Tasmanian builder Richardson Devine Marine from an Incat Crowther design, the ferry was commissioned by the Australian Government and flagged by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

Cahaya Baru was designed to integrate with the existing infrastructure to ensure ease of access across a broad range of tides and vessel-loading conditions. Water jet propulsion was selected to meet the draft requirement of the operation.

Cahaya Baru has been optimised to transit between the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, which are located in the eastern Indian Ocean. The remote location calls for reliability, ruggedness and ease of maintenance.

The ferry’s air-conditioned main deck cabin has seating for 70 passengers in forward-facing seats. Aft of the main passenger cabin are a pair of toilets, one of which is wheelchair accessible.

The aft deck features a cargo area for transferring supplies and luggage between the islands. This cargo space has a capacity of 2t. A wide boarding zone facilitates rapid transfer for both passengers and freight.
Also located in the aft deck area is a pair of large engine maintenance and machinery removal hatches.

From the aft deck, stairs lead up to the roof deck, where there are seats for a further 24 passengers. Forward of this is a half-height wheelhouse affording excellent visibility from the central helm position.

Cahaya Baru is powered by a pair of Cummins QSM11 main engines, each rated 610hp at 2300rpm. Power is transmitted via ZF360 gearboxes to a pair of Hamilton HM422 waterjets. On recent trials, a cruising speed of 20kts was achieved at 80 per cent MCR, with a top speed of 24.5kts.

Cahaya Baru will be loaded aboard a transport ship and transported to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. It is expected to enter service in July.

For more information, email: info@incatcrowther.com

QuickSpecs:

INCAT CROWTHER
20M CATAMARAN FERRY

MATERIAL: Marine grade aluminium
LENGTH OVERALL: 19.8m
WATERLINE LENGTH: 18.1m
BEAM: 6.5m
DRAFT: 0.9m
DEPTH: 2.5m
FUEL: 2400lt
WATER: 500lt
HOLDING TANK: 500lt
CREW: 3
PASSENGERS: 94
ENGINE (MAKE/MODEL): 2 x Cummins QSM11
DRIVE: 2 x Hamilton HM422 waterjets
SPEED: 24.5kts (max); 20kts (service)

Photos: Cahaya Baru.