28 July 2003
IN LESS THAN 12 MONTHS RODRIQUEZ CANTIERI NAVALI DELIVERS THE FAST FERRY “THE PRINCESS”
The
newest Rodriquez fast ferry, “The Princess”, has been
delivered today to her owner Arab Bridge Maritime Company of Jordan
in less than 12 months, possible only because of the production
diversity at Rodriquez. Following the primary assembly and initial
outfitting at the company’s Pietra Ligure shipyard, the
ship was then launched and moved for final outfitting and commissioning
to another Rodriquez yard, Intermarine, in La Spezia.
The TMV 84, yard number 323, follows closely on the heels of another
TMV 84, the “Ramon Llull” that was delivered only
two months prior to Balearia. Whilst being essentially a sister-ship,
“The Princess” has some significant differences from
“Ramon Llull” namely:
Main engines are the MTU 595 series instead of MAN B&W’s
Paxman.
All four waterjets are now steerable.
The passenger capacity has grown from around 450 to 710.
“The Princess” can carry 654 passengers in economy
class, 48 in first class and there is a luxury VIP saloon for
an additional 8 people. There is space for 58 cars or 18 cars
when 10 full size double decker busses are on board. The range
at 35 knots is 620 nautical miles. The propulsion system consists
of four MTU 16V595 TE70L diesels each rated for 3925 kW at 1750
rpm. Total installed power is 15 700 kW. Each engine is connected
to a dedicated steerable and reversible waterjet via a Reintjes
gearbox.
The fully retractable bow thruster, ride control system consisting
of four anti roll fins and transom mounted Intruders, as well
as the control / alarm / monitoring systems have been developed
and delivered by Rodriquez Marine Systems, specialists in the
field of advanced ancillary systems and ride control.
The sea-trials were performed almost flawlessly in the waters
off of La Spezia with the actual speed at 90% MCR and with 257
DWT’s on board being 35 knots, a full 2 knots more than
was contractually stipulated. Maximum speed with a full load was
37 knots and the speed at half load was close to 41 knots.
For Arab Bridge Maritime Company, “The Princess” is
a very important ship. It is the first new building to fly the
Jordanian flag, the first one in the Gulf of Aqaba, and the most
sophisticated in their fleet. She will initially connect the Jordanian
port of Aqaba with Neweba in Egypt but soon will also be used
to go to the resort city of Sharm El Sheik (Egypt).
This latest delivery is already the fourth fast ferry this year
having been preceded by:
1 x TMV 84 for the Spanish company Balearia
1 x TMV 50 for the Italian company Navigazione Libera del Golfo
in Naples.
1 x Foilmaster hydrofoil for another Italian company Ustica Lines.
Having delivered “The Princess”, work at Rodriquez
can now continue on the other ships already contracted including
the recently signed four 83 meter Ro-Pax ships for Medmar (Italy)
and the six Foilmaster hydrofoils for Tirrenia (Italy).
With four shipyard in Italy plus one in Brasil, the production
flexibility of Rodriquez is at a world class level. Combined with
the diverse production range from fast ferries to custom yachts
to military patrol craft, Rodriquez can truly be considered a
leader in the field of advanced technology shipbuilding.
Rodriquez’s diversification strategy highlighted recently
with the acquisition of Intermarine and the continuous investments
in research and development allow the company to meet market requirements
outside of their traditional Fast Ferry market, such as for yachts
and for military / paramilitary ships.
The current order book (excluding Conam) is for 42 ships representing
approximately Euro 260 million and for delivery through 2005:
• 4 x TRF 82 RoPax for MedMar
• 6 x Foilmaster Hydrofoil for Tirrenia
• 10 x Catamarans for Barcas S.A. (Brasil)
• 5 x CP 25 patrol boats for the Guardia Costiera (Italy),
part of a series for 28 boats
• 10 x MV 27 patrol boats for the Guardia di Finanza (Italy)
• 3 x MV 35 patrol boats for the Guardia di Finanza (Italy)
• 1 x 38 meter yacht
• 1 x 73 meter yacht
• 2 x 36 meter composite “Wally 118” yacht for
Wally Power
