Fast Ferry for Angolan Transport Ministry launched?at Damen Shipyards

In a ceremony held at Damen Shipyards Singapore on 19 April, His Excellency, Dr. Augusto da Silva Tomás, Minister of Transport for the Republic of Angola officially launched the new Damen Fast RoPax Ferry 4812 ordered by the Ministerio dos Transportes through IMPA (Instituto Marítimo e Portuário de Angola). The vessel will be operated by TMA Express (Transporte Marítimo de Angola) and operate on Angola’s Atlantic coastline between the capital Luanda and Cabinda, around 400 kilometers to the north, via Soyo.

The Fast RoPax Ferry 4812 is the latest addition to Damen’s state-of-the-art Fast RoPax Ferry range. Built in aluminium, these modern vessels are fast, comfortable and fuel efficient, with a top speed of 20.5 knots and a range of 815 nm. 60 passengers can be carried on the upper deck while the lower deck can carry up to 10 cars or the equivalent and nine containers. Total cargo capacity is 123 tonnes. Two of the similar but slightly smaller 4512 series are currently operating in the Cape Verde islands.

Following her launch, the 4812 for IMPA is now completing her fitting out and finishing, and is scheduled for delivery towards the end of June 2018.

Damen Shipyards Group

Damen Shipyards Group operates 34 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 10,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 160 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.

For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating and (covered) drydocks, the largest of which is 420 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyages. www.damen.com