Osman Aksoy News

Austal announced that a contract for two high speed vehicle-passenger catamarans has been signed with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. This follows the submission of a fully compliant proposal with the lowest price offer in an international tender that began earlier this year. To be operated by Istanbul Deniz Otobusleri (IDO) the identical new ferries are scheduled for delivery in 2007 and have a capacity to carry 1,200 passengers and 225 cars or 126 lane metres of trucks plus 158 cars. The origins of Turkey’s large fast ferry fleet can be traced to 1987 when the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality founded IDO to develop sea transportation solutions and thus help ease growing traffic congestion.