MAN Supplying Eight Engines For Two Ferries

Australian shipbuilders Austal and Incat Tasmania have ordered a total of eight MAN 16V28/33D STC engines in connection with the decision of the government of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago to build one fast ferry at each yard.

Each vessel will be powered by four MAN 16V28/33D STC units to help provide high-speed passenger and vehicle operations on the seabridge between the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. At full speed, each engine will provide 7280 kW.

The Austal vessel will be 94 m long and designed to carry 926 passengers and 250 cars at speeds of 37.5 knots. The ship will be built in Austal’s new shipyard in Vung Tau, Vietnam.

Incat’s 100-m wave-piercing catamaran will be a new fast passenger/cargo ferry with the capacity for 1000 persons and will carry 239 cars or a combination of trucks and cars with a service speed of 39.5 knots. Incat will build the vessel at its shipyard in Tasmania, Australia.

“MAN Energy Solutions has long had very good working relations with both Incat and Austal,” said Lex Nijsen, head of Four-Stroke Marine Sales, MAN Energy Solutions said. “With these orders, we have further strengthened our position as the leading engine provider for large, high-speed ferries. The MAN 28/33D STC type is the market segment’s most fuel-efficient engine, a vital consideration when a vessel’s fuel bill can easily account for 90% of its operating costs.”

Thomas Huchatz, Sales manager, MAN Energy Solutions, said the 28/33D STC has been selected for seven of the last 14 large high-speed-ferry projects since 2015.

“This makes it the best-selling engine type in this competitive market segment and shows the confidence that ship operators have in MAN Energy Solutions’ product portfolio and extensive service network,” Huchatz said.

MAN Energy Solutions has further announced that its after-sales division, MAN PrimeServ, will open a hub in Trinidad & Tobago to best support the operator.