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21 February 2005 RODRIQUEZ CANTIERI
NAVALI DO BRASIL DELIVERS THE SECOND CATAMARAN TO BARCAS SA One month after the delivery of the first catamaran (Zeus I), Rodriquez Cantieri Navali do Brasil delivered on January 24, Apolo I, the second vessel of the CityCat 29 series under construction at the yard in Niteroi near Rio de Janeiro. Apolo I will operate, together with Zeus I, on the Rio de Janeiro – Charitas route, a small residential center of Niteroi in the well known Guanabara bay. Powered by two MTU diesels of 1050 kw each, she will cover the route in 15 minutes at a speed of 25 knots. During sea trials Apolo I, which has a passenger capacity of 230, reached a maximum speed of 28.1 knots, exceeding all expectations. The Rio to Charitas route is a new one and was inaugurated by Barcas with these first two CityCat 29’s. This route is an important link in the local network in that it allows a better means of travel for thousands of people that every day cross the Guanabara bay to get to Rio de Janeiro. This makes Rodriquez very proud, more so than even the technical value of the catamarans.
Rodriquez Cantieri Navali do Brasil was founded in Rio de Janeiro by Rodriquez Cantieri Navali after signing a contract for the construction of ten aluminum catamarans with Barcas SA. This contract required that the ships be built in Brasil and so this new yard was established in Niteroi and opened in August 2003. The yard employs five hundred people today, all of whom are Brazilians. This delivery is a further example of the investment and technology transfer by Rodriquez into the Brasilian shipbuilding industry which previously had no experience in the construction of aluminum fast ferries. |
