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Incat

Incat Catamaran Ferry

A fast catamaran ferry reaching twice a conventional ferry's speed with an aluminium hull and water jets.

Incat Catamaran Ferry — Ferry
USN photo courtesy of USNI. Text courtesy of DANFS. · Public domain
Incat Catamaran Ferry — Ferry
Jean-Pierre Bazard Jpbazard · CC BY-SA 3.0
Incat Catamaran Ferry — Ferry
Jean-Pierre Bazard Jpbazard · CC BY-SA 3.0

Overview

Incat ferries use a catamaran layout with two slender hulls and aluminium construction. Slender hulls reduce wave resistance, and light material allows higher speed for the same power.

Water-jet propulsion helps in shallow water and manoeuvring; with no propeller turning outside the hull, coming alongside is easier. In exchange, high speed raises fuel consumption steeply — speed is always expensive.

A fast ferry can change a route's economics: once journey time falls below a certain threshold, the sea route becomes a real alternative to the road.

Details

Brand
Incat
Category
Ferry
Body
Fast catamaran ferry
Propulsion
su-jeti
Produced
1990–