Second Vehicle-Passenger Ferry For Turkey Launched

Huge Celebration Welcomes First Ferry into Operation

The second Auto Express 88 fast car ferry “Orhan Gazi-1” was launched today at the Austal shipyard. The 88 metre aluminium catamaran is the tenth fast ferry Austal has built for, Istanbul Deniz Otobusleri (IDO).

This follows an enormous welcoming ceremony to introduce the first ferry Osman Gazi-1 into service, hosted by the Turkish Prime Minister, Mr Tayyip Erdogan, in Turkey on April 21 following her departure from the Austal shipyard on March 28.

The new Austal ferries are designated to operate on a 39 nautical mile reciprocal service across the Marmara Sea between Yenikapi (Istanbul) and a new port development in Mudanya servicing the city of Bursa. “Orhan Gazi-1” is scheduled to enter service in July 2007.

The ferries have the capacity to carry 1200 passengers and 225 cars and will be capable of an operational speed in excess of 36 knots when fully loaded. The catamaran’s propulsion consists of four MTU 20 cylinder 8000 series diesel engines driving a Lips propulsion system through four Reintjes gearboxes.