A NEW Zealand ferry company has launched an Australian-built passenger vessel in Auckland.
Queensland-based shipyard Aluminium Marine built the Incat Crowther 29 Tuhi Rapa for tourism operator Explore Group.
The new vessel has joined the fleet of Auckland-based company and sails between Auckland Harbour and the Bay of Islands. Its maiden voyage was in late 2022.
Incat Crowther technical manager Dan Mace said the design of Tuhi Rapa is based on the Incat Crowther 29 catamaran but was tailored to the needs of Explore Group.
“The result is a flexible, operationally efficient, and safe passenger ferry that also doubles as a tourism catamaran,” Mr Mace said.
“Having worked with Explore Group previously, we knew some of the finer details in the design were incredibly important.
“It’s great to see Tuhi Rapa on the water and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed working on yet another successful project.”
Explore Group managing director William Goodfellow told media in Auckland the design of Tuhi Rapa would serve both tourists and commuters.
“We love the design and operability of Tuhi Rapa. Having owned and operated more than 20 vessels, we can safely say that Tuhi Rapa’s versatility means it stands head and shoulders above anything else.”
Tuhi Rapa features design elements to help increase operational efficiency, including midship boarding doors on the main deck.
The vessel has capacity for 300 passengers.
