craſt are of similar form to the old, being flat-bottomed double enders able to proceed equally well in either direction so that 180-degree turns are not required aſter port departures. Navigation lighting and bridge control stations are organised to suit, and the craſt has a bow section at each end, along with deployable vehicle ramps to permit ro-ro operation. Berthing is on the vessel’s ‘east’ side in both Yarmouth and Lymington, and passenger access is on this side only. A central superstructure is topped by a full-width bridge, allowing watch-keeping officers to proceed to the side extremities of the ship so that they can maintain visual contact with close yachts and other small vessels likely to be encountered in profusion on the route. CCTV cameras provide visibility of ‘blind spots’. Te new ferries do not have the third
deck that was present on the ‘C’ Class. Te upper car deck, or Garage Deck, is on the same level as the passenger deck, with the latter located largely to one side of the Garage Deck, both being at about the same height above sea level as the passenger deck on the old vessels. Despite the increased weight, the ‘W’
Class ferries draw scarcely any more than their predecessors at maximum displacement – just 2cm more in fact at 2.3m. In operation, even this differential disappears. Tis is important given the shallow nature of Lymington River, especially at low water Springs, and the Lymington Harbour Commissioners’ wish to avoid the need for additional dredging.
Fuel efficiency Te new ferries are described as much more environmentally friendly. Te four six-cylinder Volvo D16MH diesel main engines on each ship are significantly more fuel efficient than the engines on the ‘C’ Class ferries, reflecting advances in diesel engine technology, and meet all the relevant EU emission standards. Moreover, in a departure from practice to date, the engines can be shut down when the ship is alongside in port. Cooling water is circulated internally via heat exchangers and none is discharged overboard. Te engines drive two Voith Schneider (VS) 21R5/135 water tractor units which, with their fully azimuthing capability,
Ship & Boat International March/April 2009
can direct the drive in any direction in response to Voith joystick controls on the bridge. Unusually the VS units, located on the hull centreline, are belt driven and the control connection is electrical rather than mechanical as on the previous vessels. Te helmsman/watch officer has individual control of each unit. Te presence of four engines provides
redundancy, enabling operations to continue with an engine out of action. Te engines are disposed in two engine rooms, each of which also has a Volvo generator set to provide the ship with power when the main engines are not running. Te separate engine rooms are located on the side opposite the passenger boarding doors. Passenger comfort is enhanced by an
interior designed by LAP Architects of Billericay, Essex. Passenger capacity has been reduced from 500 to 360 due to market changes, in particular increased car ownership and a decline in peak foot-passenger traffic over the years. Te new vessels actually have more internal seats than the ‘C’ Class, and still more seats are available on the sun deck over the main passenger lounge and Garage Deck. For the first time, there is a lift between the car decks and the passenger lounge. Passengers will have access to WiFi Internet connectivity. Wightlink has invested £26 million (US$36.5 million) in the design and build of the ferries, along with some shore-based infrastructure work. Construction of all three ships was entrusted to Kraljevica Bodogradililiste, a shipyard owned by the Croation government. Construction has taken place under the supervision of Hart
TECHNICAL PARTICULARS Wightlink catamarans
Length overall ...................................40.90m Length waterline ...............................38.60m Beam (max) ...........................................12m Hull draught .........................................1.60m Total deadweight ..........................26tonnes Speed ..............................20kts at 85% MCR Main engines................................ 2 x 820kW
.............................................CAT / Cummins Generators
................................CAT / Volvo Passengers ............................................... 260 Crew............................................................. 3
Fenton and Wightlink’s project manager Colin Stanton, who has been based at the yard for the duration of the build. First-of- class, Wight Light, was launched in January 2008 and arrived in Lymington River in September aſter a successful delivery voyage via the Mediterranean and Bay of Biscay. Hart Fenton, a Portsmouth UK-based
naval design and maritime engineering subsidiary of Houlder Ltd, has designed numerous vessels included container ships, cable layers, sea catamarans, fast ferries and other ro-ro ships, including both passenger/vehicle and catamaran ferries for Wightlink. For example, the company designed and project managed the build of the 86m ro-ro double-ender St Clare, which plies between Portsmouth and Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight. Tis vehicle/passenger ferry has four VS units powered by four Wärtsila engines.
Enhanced operation Design drivers for new ferries on Wightlink’s busy 5nm Portsmouth- Ryde commuter route are very different to those for the Yarmouth-Lymington service. Basically, the brief was to provide a comfortable, medium-speed crossing for up to 260 passengers with economy and service reliability improved over those delivered by the two present catamarans, FastCat Ryde and FastCat Shanklin, which were built in 1996. Philippines-based shipbuilder FBMA
Marine Inc is responsible for the build, with BMT Nigel Gee Associates Ltd (BMTNGA) as its contracted designer. FBMA’s sales and marketing manager, Craig Patrick, noted: “Basically, they [Wightlink] took all the things they didn’t like [about operations with the present vessels] and built a specification around that.” To improve operating economy,
Wightlink wanted reduced fuel consumption. Tis was able to be achieved through reduced powering, a service speed of around 20kts being considered adequate. Tis is because, even though the present craſt can cruise at 30kts, they are only permitted to do so once well outside Portsmouth Harbour and also clear of Ryde Pier. Similarly, a passenger capacity of 260 was specified since the present craſt rarely run to their full capacity of 380
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