VESSEL OF THE MONTH Volcán de Taidía in Hobart, Tasmania, prior to departure for Spain.
ustralian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania reports that its latest high-speed ferry, the 111-meter catamaran Volcán de Taidía, has been delivered to Spain’s Navieras Armas. She is now on her way to her new home in the Canary Islands via Auckland, New Zealand, across the Pacific Ocean to Tahiti and the Panama Canal before crossing the Atlantic to operate alongside sister vessel Volcán de Tagoro, which was delivered by Incat in 2019. Both vessels will operate out of the new private port facility strategically located in the center of the Canary Islands at Las Palmas and developed by Naviera Armas in 2019. When she enters service, Volcán de Taidía will be the sixth Incat-built vessel operating in the Navieras Armas fleet. She is also the owner’s second newbuild direct from Incat Tasmania, its other Incat-built vessels being acquired on the second-hand market. “We are delighted to have a new sister 8 Marine Log // October 2021
ship of the catamaran Volcán de Tagoro whose excellent performance and benefits have raised the quality of maritime transport to its highest level,” says Naviera Armas owner, Antonio Armas senior. Incat Tasmania CEO Tim Burnell says the delivery of a second large high-speed ferry to Naviera Armas is a sound endorsement of the excellent seakeeping qualities delivered by Incat catamarans. “The original vision of Naviera Armas was to facilitate high speed movement for passengers, cars and trucks between the two main cities in the Canary Islands, Las Palmas and Tenerife,” he says. “The one concern Antonio Armas senior had was that this is one of the most exposed routes in the Canary Islands.” The vessel was designed by Revolution Design Pty Ltd. and features two slender, aluminum hulls connected by a bridging section with a center bow structure at the forward end. Each hull is divided into ten vented, watertight compartments divided by transverse bulkheads. Three
compartments in each hull are prepared as fuel oil tanks with additional strengthening on each of the end bulkheads and intermediate tank tops. There are crew accommodations port and starboard at Tier 2 level for eight crew including bunks, lockers and bathroom facilities. Volcán de Taidía has a capacity for 1,200 persons, including crew, and the vehicle deck provides for 595 truck lane meters plus 219 cars, or, in car-only mode, 401 cars. Volcán de Taidía is powered by four MAN 28/33D STC 20V engines, each rated at 9,100 kW at 100% MCR, driving four Wärtsilä Lips LJX 1500SR waterjets via four ZF 60000 NR2H gearboxes and achieved over 42 knots with 600 tonnes deadweight during speed trials. A Naiad Dynamics’ active ride control system is fitted to maximize passenger comfort. This system combines active trim tabs aft and retractable T-foil located at the aft end of the center bow.
Photo Credit: Incat Tasmania
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Volcán de Taidía:
Fast Cat for Canary Islands
