Oman to Buy Catamaran Ferries

Oman recently signed a major contract with the Australian shipbuilder Austal to buy two 65-meter, 50-knot, multipurpose state-of-the-art passenger-vehicle catamaran ferries. Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national economy and deputy chairman of Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council, and John Rothwell, executive chairman of Austal, signed the contract. The vessels, scheduled for delivery in 2007 and early 2008, will have a capacity to carry 203 passengers and 56 cars. These ferries are expected to provide a new tourism service to Oman, and will be the flagship vessels in the country’s expanded marine transport and security network. Each ferry is to be powered by four MTU 20-cylinder 1163-series diesel engines, driving a Rolls Royce/KaMeWa water-jet propulsion system. (Source: Times of Oman)