Article Posted on : - Dec 10, 2010

The vessel is the heaviest Austal has ever built.

PERTH (BNS): Austal Friday unveiled its largest ever catamaran. The vessel, measuring 113 metres in length, was towed out of the shed at its shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia.

The vessel is the heaviest Austal has ever built weighing slightly more than the 127 metre trimaran “Benchijigua Express.”

At around 20 metres longer than a standard soccer pitch and weighing around 1000 tonnes, the vessel will be able to hold up to 1,400 passengers and 357 cars when complete and travel at speeds of up to 40 knots, an Austal release said.

Due to the enormous scale of the ship, the upper deck, which has been constructed as a separate “Super Unit” has to be fitted after the vessel leaves the fabrication hall.

The “Super Unit” weighs in at over 170 tonnes which is more than the total aluminium weight of two 47.5m vessels also currently under construction.

Austal Friday commenced joining the two parts together using its own advanced and highly specialised aluminium welding techniques.

The ship which is bound for Denmark in mid 2011 will be utilised as a vehicle passenger ferry linking Denmark and Sweden.