Commercial Catamarans for Hawaiian Inter-Island Transport
Two 107 meter or 351 foot catamaran ferries will probably be developed for passenger and vehicle transportation between the Hawaiian Islands. One of the ferries is well into its construction; it'll be ready for delivery within the first half of 2007. The next ferry is incorporated in the initial phases of the build and really should be set for delivery in the beginning of 2009. Kailua Kona area
These gargantuan catamarans will probably be for Hawaii Superferry (HSF). They are going to shuttle passengers from Honolulu to Maui and Kauai in three hours and from Honolulu for the Big Island in four hours.
The mammoth catamarans should be able to sustain 866 passengers and 282 vehicles. To be able to move this kind of enormous load the catamarans will be fitted with 20 cylinder MTU 8000 Series engines. Each power plant will produce 8,200 Kilowatts or 10,995 horsepower and weigh 99,208 pounds. Click here
All the catamarans will have 4 of such monster sized engines that is as many as 43,993 horsepower and 396,832 pounds just in engine weight alone. The catamaran ferries could be the largest aluminum vessels ever built on U.S. soil.
The initial ship that is completed in 2007 its four engines were installed three weeks ahead of schedule that was a significant feat, because of the grandeur of the build. This is Hawaii's first high speed vehicle passenger transport service.