Impressive performance thanks to engines and design

Since Friday, July 10^th, she is on her way: The Bajamar Express, the new fast ferry of the Spanish shipping company Fred. Olsen Express, has left the Austal shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia and is on its way to the Canary Islands.

The crossing will take 21 days. The Bajamar Express and the second vessel Bañaderos Express carry 1,100 passengers and 276 cars at a cruising speed of over 38 knots. The Bajamar Express will start service in August 2020 and will shuttle between Santa Cruz on Tenerife and Agaete on Gran Canaria.

Series 8000 engines impress with performance

Prior to this, the trimaran had to show what it is capable of during trials with its four mtu Series 8000 engines. With its 20-cylinder mtu engines, the Bajamar Express achieved an average speed of 37.6 knots at 85 percent of maximum power and 80 percent utilization of its maximum payload.

The combination of dynamic ship design and 9,100 kilowatts of power per engine even brought the trimaran to an interim top speed of 44 knots. "The high power density of the engines, together with the special trimaran hull shape, makes for a very efficient performance of the ferry," confirms Phil Kordic, mtu Marine Sales Manager of Rolls-Royce.

Combination of trimaran concept and mtu engines is convincing

David Singleton, Austal's CEO, said that the results of the Bajamar Express' trials, during which a speed of over 44 knots was achieved, exceeding the contract speed, were a great demonstration of the trimaran's unique capabilities and exceptional seakeeping characteristics. "In 2005 we at Austal implemented a successful trimaran concept for Fred Olsen with the Benchijigua Express. The new generation of high-speed ferries, builds on this concept and will provide an even greater customer experience".

Impact of Covid-19

The Bajamar Express and its sister ship Bañaderos Express, which is under construction, have all the preventive measures for safety in accordance with Covid-19, and the company and its protocols are also certified by the Spanish company Aenor. "We are very proud that Fred. Olsen Express is the first Spanish transport and tourism company to receive this important certification," said Andrés Marín, CEO of Fred. Olsen S.A. A crew of 19 persons from Fred. Olsen spent 14 days in quarantine after entering Australia due to the Covid 19 pandemic before they could take over the trimaranfor the crossing.

"The entire Fred-Olsen-Express team can hardly wait for the Bajamar Express to arrive in the Canary Islands." The sister ship, the Bañaderos Express, will follow in the first half of 2021.

12 engines of series 8000 in service

These new vessels will join the Benchijigua Express trimaran in the Canary Islands, which has been running with mtu 20V 8000s since 2005.  All three vessels will have be covered by a maintenance contract from mtu.