Following successful sea trials, Austal Vietnam has successfully completed ‘Apetahi Express’ (Austal Hull 425), a new 66m high-speed catamaran for the Degage Group of French Polynesia.
Austal CEO Paddy Gregg said: “Our warmest congratulations to The Degage Group on the delivery of this latest addition to their growing fleet. Austal has now designed and constructed six commercial ferries for the Degage Group, operating throughout French Polynesia and we’re thankful for their continued business and support.”
Apetahi Express was customised by Austal’s Australian and Vietnamese design and engineering teams to meet the demands of inter-island transport, and the new catamaran includes indoor and outdoor decks for passengers and a cargo space accommodating up to 16t.
Fitted with four diesel engines and four waterjets, as well as Austal’s Motion Control System (including active interceptors and T-foils) and the latest Marinelink-Essentials program, the new ferry achieved a speed of 38 knots during sea trials.
During the design of Apetahi Express, the Degage Group placed an emphasis on reducing CO2 emissions and improving fuel efficiency. By optimising the aluminium hull design, Austal achieved a significant reduction in resistance that lowers fuel consumption and improves seakeeping and comfort.
Austal Vietnam President Mark Dummett said: “This has been a fantastic collaboration between Austal and the team from The Degage Group which has resulted in a superb vessel that has exceeded speed performance targets. Both teams have worked skilfully and efficiently to deliver Apetahi Express and our customer is very pleased with the latest addition to their fleet. My thanks to all involved for their outstanding efforts and expertise delivering Apetahi Express”.
The new Austal ‘Passenger Express 66’ catamaran features a length overall (LOA) of 66.4m, beam of 15.2m and draught of 1.8m. Over two passenger decks, the vessel can accommodate 574 passengers, with an additional 80 seats available on an external sun deck. The vessel has four passenger access ramps and can carry up to 16 tonnes of cargo loaded via two cranes.
Austal has previously designed and built five vessels for the Degage Group, comprising two 69m monohull cruise ships (Austal Hulls 172 and 173), a 56m vehicle/passenger catamaran ferry (Austal Hull 266), an 80m vehicle/passenger catamaran ferry (Austal Hull 201) and a 49m vehicle/passenger ferry (Hull 421). Following the delivery voyage, the new ferry is anticipated to commence operations between Pape’ete (Tahiti) and Vaitape (Bora Bora) in French Polynesia in July 2023.
