Elliott Bay Develops Eco-Tourism Vessel

Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) has created a design for a new 230 ft. (70.1 m), 127-passenger Eco-tourism vessel for Nisa Navegacion of Santiago, Chile. Known as Mare Australis, the vessel will join the existing 210-ft. (64-m), 90-passenger Terra Australis in providing one-week excursions from Punta Arenas to the Straits of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego, and Cape Horn. Elliott Bay's designers worked to ensure that three important requirements were met during the vessel's construction; beginning with the idea that the design had to be as close a possible to that of Nisa's existing vessel, while complying with current SOLAS requirements. The second point was to provide the utmost in seakeeping characteristics while maintaining an easy-to-build hull form. Thirdly, because the new boat will be constructed in Chile, the design has to incorporate both metric-size plate thicknesses, as well as English-measure structural shapes and piping. The all-stateroom vessel will feature two lounges and will provide daily shore excursions for passengers via onboard RIBs. The company's contract design is currently undergoing review for classing by ABS, and construction is expected to commence during the third quarter 2001, with delivery occurring in the fourth quarter 2002. The steel vessel will have a beam of 44 ft. (13.4 m) and a draft of 9 ft. (2.7 m). Power will be provided by two 680-bhp main engines providing a cruising speed of 12 knots; auxiliary power will come from a pair of 225 kW gensets, along with a 115 kW harbor generator and a 125 kW emergency generator. The vessel will be able to hold 26,400 gallons of fuel oil and 42,200 gallons of potable water. www.marinenewsinfo.com