Issue 2 1999 - Austal Ships

“Carmen Ernestina”joins Conferry’s Margarita ExpressAuto Express 86for VenezuelaFollowing a 12,760 nautical miledelivery voyage, Austal’s latestAuto Express vehicle-passengercatamaran, the 86 metre “CarmenErnestina”, has entered service forVenezuelan Company, Conferry.As financial approval was notin place prior to the vessel’sdeparture deadline (required toensure scheduled servicecommencement), Austal wasable to arrange a short termcharter to both the customer’sand Austal’s satisfaction thatallowed the customer moretime to seek suitable finance forthe purchase, whilst alsoenabling immediate schedulingcommitments to be met.Conferry is Venezuela’s largestferry operator with 40 yearsexperience and after chartering alarge car ferry from a Europeanoperator to service theiroperations in previous years,chose to upgrade their servicewith the Austal Auto Expressdesign. In addition to ferryservices, Conferry also has interests inhotel and medical centre operations.“Carmen Ernestina” will joinConferry’s Margarita Express servicebetween Puerto La Cruz on mainlandVenezuela and Punta De Piedras onMargarita Island, a popular duty-freeCONFERRYPRINCIPAL DATA - AUTO EXPRESS 86"CARMEN ERNESTINA"Length Overall . . . . . . . . 86.6metresLength Waterline . . . . . . 74.2 metresBeam (Moulded). . . . . . . 24.0 metresHull Draft. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 metresPassengers . . . . . . . . . . . . 800Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 cars,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . or 10 buses and 125 carsMaximum deadweight . . . 400 tonnesPropulsionMain Engines . . . . . . . . . . 4 x Caterpillar 3618. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7200kW @1050rpmGearboxes . . . . . . . . . . . 4 x ReintjesWaterjets . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 x KaMeWaSpeed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 knots (400 t dwt @ 90%)Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Germanischer Lloydisland holiday destination. The servicewill also be extended to La Guaira(near Caracas) and Punta De Piedras inthe near future. Additionally, Conferryprovides ferry services betweenMargarita and Cumina on themainland, and Margarita and the smallisland of Coche.The high quality andcomfortable interior wasdeveloped by Austal’s in-housedesign group and a totaloutfitted area of 2050 squaremetres is devoted to the 800passengers and support services.“Carmen Ernestina” is the 12thof Austal’s Auto Express range ofhigh speed vehicle-passengercatamarans to be commissionedsince 1995. Its arrival intoVenezuela represents Austal’sfirst delivery of this type of craftinto the South American market.As part of Austal’s ProductSupport Programme, an AustalService Engineer was on hand toprovide any assistance requiredduring service introduction.Page 4