PATRICIA OLIVIA II

DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIRST 50+ KNOT FERRY

IN NORTH AMERICA

by

John Bonafoux, Technical Director, Nigel Gee and Associates Ltd

Gavin Higgins, Shipyard Manager, Derecktor Shipyards

SUMMARY

The North American high speed ferry market has been slow to develop compared
with other areas such as Australia, Europe and the Far East. However, recent
developments show that the US market is now gathering momentum, not only in
respect of the number of orders, but also with regard to the speed and sophistication
of the ferry designs. This trend was emphasised when, in September 1997, one of
the world’s largest high speed ferry operators, Buquebus, placed a contract with
Derecktor Shipyards in Mamaroneck, New York for a high specification, 300
passenger ferry with a maximum speed of over 50 knots.

This paper describes the design development, construction and sea trials of the First
of Class of this new ferry design.

INTRODUCTION

The specification for the ferry required a maximum contract speed of over 50 knots
and a high level of seakeeping and passenger comfort. For design, Derecktor
Shipyards selected Naval Architects, Nigel Gee and Associates Ltd, with whom they
had previously teamed for construction of the 38 metre high speed catamarans for
New York Fast Ferry, shown in Figure 1.

The ferry was to be constructed for operation on a route between Fort Meyers,
Florida and Key West or, alternatively, on a route across the river Platte between
Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo in Uruguay as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Passenger accommodation was provided for a total of 300 passengers, with

approximately 250 in a spacious main deck saloon, and 50 passengers in an upper
deck First Class lounge, as shown in Figure 4. The very high speed requirement led
to the selection of gas turbine engines using a Detroit Diesel TF80 propulsion
system powering MJP waterjets.

Construction of the vessel began in November 1997 with successful completion of

sea trials in October 1998, surpassing all contract requirements. The vessel is now
in operation between Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

Principal particulars for the vessel are given in Figure 5.

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HULL DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Optimisation of hull form parameters for any vessel requires careful consideration of
many influencing factors such as calm water performance, seakeeping, production
costs and volume requirements for machinery etc. However, calm water resistance
is commonly the dominating factor, often at the expense of the vessel’s seakeeping,
and the good design is the one which manages to balance these two important
characteristics.

During the initial stage of the design, NGA completed a parametric study to establish
the preliminary dimensions for the catamaran hulls. As shown in Figure 6, hull form
selection is highly dependent on the vessel’s Froude number. Due to the high
Froude number for this design (Fn = 1.35), NGA’s early design work led to the
selection of a “higher lift” warped chine hull design. This type of planing hull form
would normally be expected to be desirable at a Froude number in excess of 1.0.
NGA’s analysis showed the total resistance of this hull form became more
favourable with increasing Froude number, compared to round bilge hull forms
commonly used on 30-40 knot designs of the same length.

Model tank testing was then conducted at the Marintek facility in Trondheim,
Norway (see Figure 7). The tank testing programme included bare hull tests for trim
optimisation across a range of displacements and further testing with various spray
rail configurations. The addition of spray rails proved extremely beneficial with the
final configuration reducing resistance by 5%.

With a delivery period of only 14 months for design and construction of the vessel,
NGA progressed the design of hull structure, machinery, systems and fitout in
parallel with the hull design and tank testing. Detailed construction drawings were
then e-mailed to the shipyard, with construction proceeding alongside drawing
approval by ABS and USCG. Construction on this basis reduces the total design
and build time, but increases the possibility of design changes during production.
However, with careful design and liaison between all parties, this risk can be
managed and changes during build were negligible.

STYLING

Today, aesthetics play an ever increasing role in the vessel design of fast ferries. To
bring a fresh approach to the exterior of the vessel, leading Italian automotive and
marine stylists, Pininfarina, worked with NGA/Derecktor to develop styling which
would give the vessel a stunning appearance, and would still allow ease of
construction in aluminium. The original Pininfarina rendering for the vessel is shown
in Figure 8.

Interior styling was completed by Julio Cesar Ortega Arquitecto, working closely with
Nicholson Interiors Ltd who supplied the lightweight honeycomb panels and surface
finishes in kit-part form for assembly at the shipyard. The accommodation is
arranged for 248 passengers on the main deck in a 3-4-4-3 configuration across the

2
ship. The upper deck accommodation has capacity for a total of 56 passengers in
Club Class seats with 4 of the passengers accommodated in a First Class private
room. Both main deck and upper deck have bar areas for serving of drinks and light
snacks.

STRUCTURAL DESIGN

The hull and superstructure are of lightweight aluminium construction designed and
built to meet the requirements of the American Bureau of Shipping Regulations for
the Classification of High Speed Craft. The construction uses 5083-H321 plate,
6061-T6 extrusions and extruded “T-Bar” planking for decks, superstructure,
bulkheads and other flat areas of the structure. The typical structural style is shown
in Figure 9. All plate was CNC cut to reduce production time. This included plate
for transverse frames with folded flanges to reduce welding.

Bottom structure in way of waterjets and machinery is an area that has suffered from
failures on many other high speed ferries. To ensure reliability of not only the
aluminium structure in this area but also the FRP waterjet intake ducts, a structural
analysis using a finite element model (see Figure 10) of the engine room structure
was completed by CETEC Consultancy Ltd which included the skin, frames, girders,
ducts and, where appropriate, machinery.

The finite element model was also used to reduce the weight and cost of the power
transmission. The initial design incorporated a support bearing on the forward end
of the waterjet shaft to prevent overloading of gearbox bearings. Using the model to
confirm the deflection envelope between the waterjet at transom and the gearbox
output flange under any operating condition, allowed the forward shaft bearing and
support structure to be deleted, with a valuable weight saving.

MACHINERY

Gas turbine propulsion was preferred and the Detroit Diesel TF80 Marine Turbine
was selected as the most suitable power plant for the speed and payload
requirement. The Detroit Diesel system uses a Cincinnati MA107 gearbox and two
AlliedSignal TF40 marine gas turbines, with a total power of 5.535 MW (7420 HP) in
each hull.

Each pair of gas turbines are mounted directly onto the Cincinnati gearbox (see
Figure 11) which combines the power from each turbine and reduces the turbine
input speed of 15,400 rpm, into a single output shaft with a maximum shaft speed of
765 rpm. Independent clutches on the turbine input shafts allow single turbine
operation for slower operating speeds. Power from the second turbine can be
brought on line almost immediately. The gearbox output shaft can also be clutched
to totally disengage power when alongside.

3
For propulsion, Bird Johnson type MJP 950 DD waterjets were selected. This
waterjet design was a transitional model between the existing range and a new
generation of high efficiency waterjets with improved cavitation performance. To
improve waterjet performance the waterjet intake geometry was developed by MJP
using 3-D CFD analysis of the flow inside the intake and flow across the bottom
surface of the hull using incompressible, three dimensional flow calculation software
as shown in Figure 12. NGA/Derecktor had previously used FRP waterjet intakes on
the NYFF ferries and to save weight and provide the highest quality surface on the
waterjet intake duct, this approach was also adopted on the Buquebus ferry (see
Figure 13).

The machinery configuration and arrangement of the combustion air intake and
exhaust is shown in Figure 14.

To improve seakeeping, a Ride Control system from Maritime Dynamics Inc was
fitted. This system incorporates an active bow T-foil and stern trim tab on each hull
to provide motion damping forces on each corner of the vessel. Photographs of the
T-foil and trim tab assembly are shown in Figure 15.

SAFETY

The vessel was designed and constructed as an “H-Boat” (ie to meet USCG
requirements under sub chapter H of the Code of Federal Regulations), over 100
gross register tonnage and operating at a distance of up to 50 nautical miles
offshore. Under this category the major safety related build items were as follows.

Liferafts: 100% passenger capacity fitted to both sides of

the vessel.

Marine Evacuation Slides: One slide fitted at each liferaft embarkation station.

Rescue Boat: USCG approved rescue boat and

launching/recovery equipment .

Fire Insulation-Engine Room: A60 standard.

Fire Insulation-Accommodation: E15 standard.

Area of safe refuge: 140m2 (minimum of 0.465m2 per person)

Weight is a critical factor on vessels of this type, and approval as an H-boat was
selected by Derecktors/NGA since it was thought that this would result in a vessel
with a high standard of safety without an excessive weight penalty. The vessel could
also have been constructed under USCG as a “K-boat” (ie to meet USCG
requirements under sub chapter K of the Code of Federal Regulations) or,
alternatively, as a high speed craft under the IMO HSC code. However, there is

4
significant variation in these requirements which could result in ferries of the same
speed and passenger capacity, operating on the same route, yet fitted with very
different levels of safety equipment. It is felt that a more unified approach to
certification would be beneficial and would allow shipyards to construct vessels to a
more consistent standard.

CONSTRUCTION

R E Derecktor have been building vessels for over fifty years and built the first
aluminum yacht in North America. The basis of their success has been that in over
fifty years of building boats, no vessel has ever suffered a major structural failure.
Milestone boats, include Stars & Stripes, the last aluminum built 12 metre to win the
America's Cup; Encore, the 1996 Fastnet winner; and nine 270 feet Coast Guard
Cutters.

Through the construction of the 45m ferry for Buquebus there were three major
points to be achieved:

1. Achieve a very high speed requirement. This implies building within weight
budgets.

2. Deliver on time.

3. Deliver a high quality product.

The weight of the vessel and fairness of the hull lines are critical to obtaining the
specified speed.

For the weight, Derecktor monitored all components through the Engineering and
Purchasing Departments, and investigated many different parts/materials to meet
the overall weight target.

Reducing weight usually costs money but this can be cost effective if labour hours
are reduced. Fire insulation is a good example of this. The standard material used
in the United States is Rock Wool. To achieve an A60 rating with Rock Wool on
aluminium requires 4" of material. Using a ceramic fibre insulation it is possible to
reduce this to 2". Although the product is more expensive, there is a significant
weight saving, and an added saving on installation time.

Experience with yacht construction has enabled the production of a very fair hull.
With great attention to accurate stiffener/plate fit up and careful weld schedule,
plating distortion is minimised. This leads to a fair and geometrically accurate hull.

Encouraged by the success of the composite water jet intakes on the two New York
Fast Ferries, Derecktor incorporated this construction method into the Buquebus
vessel. The two New York Fast Ferries had run for a cumulative four years in New
York harbour without any damage from floating debris or cavitation to the inside of

5
the tunnels. Since each tunnel pumps approximately 175,000 gallons of water per
minute through it, and would pump the Reflecting pool in Washington DC dry in 7
minutes, extreme fairness is critical.

On time delivery is very important to customers. To expedite production Derecktor

made extensive use of the Internet to move the engineering files around the world.
The exterior styling of the boat was from Italy, the engineering from England, the
lofting and nest tapes from Seattle, the cutting in Florida and the construction in New
York. The interior was designed in Uruguay and fabricated in Southampton,
England.

Each of these activities had to be approved by the Yard, and the Internet was the
only way to move the files around the world quickly and not hold up production
because of lack of information.

In the future we will be able to reduce production time further by breaking the work
down into smaller packages and sub-contracting it to more vendors thus shortening
the construction time.

Derecktor have invested in techniques to minimise the stress build up in the plate
due to welding. Examples of this are, firstly, to minimise the number of welded
seams/making a single pass butt weld, and secondly, to ensure continuity of the
stiffeners and bracketing.

SEA TRIALS AND PERFORMANCE

Sea trials began in early October 1998 (see Figure 16). Unfortunately, there is still
no way of controlling the elements and, as is often the way, weather conditions were
far from ideal for speed trials on a vessel of this size with 15-18 knots of wind and a
2-3ft sea throughout the trials period.

The results of the full load speed trials are presented in Figure 17. Power was
confirmed from calibrated torque measurements taken on the waterjet input shaft. A
maximum full load speed of 52 knots was achieved, although this was not at full
power due to some early problems with the turbine fuel system. Another problem
encountered during sea trials was recirculation of turbine exhaust gases into the
combustion air inlet, which can lead to a decrease in power and increased
maintenance due to contamination of the turbine blades. This problem was quickly
cured by adding deflector plates and side air inlets to locally increase air flow in way
of the combustion air inlets.

Extrapolating to maximum power gave a fully loaded speed of 53 knots. During

lighter weight trials with 12 tonnes of deadweight, the vessel achieved over 55 knots.

Figure 17 also shows NGA’s performance prediction for the vessel and, as can be
seen, the performance achieved during sea trials exceeded that calculated by NGA.
It is thought that there were a number of factors contributing to this difference.

6
Firstly, drag was initially calculated using a hull skin roughness allowance of 75
microns. Later, it was decided to use “Intersleek” (a low friction paint system
manufactured by International Paints Ltd) because of the significant reduction in
frictional resistance that this would offer on a vessel of this speed. This silicone
elastomer based coating reduces surface roughness for a typical application to 44
microns, thereby reducing the frictional component by approximately 7%. As can be
seen from Figure 18, frictional resistance represents nearly one third of the total drag
at speeds above 50 knots, and it is estimated that the reduction in surface
roughness gives an increase in speed of approximately 0.75 knots. An added
benefit of Intersleek is that it does not contain harmful biocides, resulting in a
“greener” ferry. Weight control throughout the design and construction of the vessel
was another important factor with the final vessel weight being 1% lower than
calculated. In addition to these factors, the development work on the waterjet intake
and the high quality of the FRP intake ducts have resulted in higher efficiency, which
was not included in the performance prediction.

Speed trials on two-engine operation, ie one TF40 turbine on each side shut down,
were also completed, with the vessel achieving a maximum speed of 40 knots.

Sound measurement trials were completed with noise measurements taken by noise
consultants, J & A Enterprises Inc, at various locations throughout the vessel with
the microphone held at approximately 1.5 metres above sole. At an early stage in
the design, NGA and Derecktor decided to pursue a philosophy of not fitting any
sound insulation, other than the inherent sound deadening provided by fire
insulation, until noise measurements could be completed during trials. This simple
approach allows for noise reduction to be applied exactly where it is required, with a
potential saving in the weight of additional noise insulation which may not have been
effective. Recorded noise levels taken during trials are given in Figure 19. Average
noise levels within the lower and upper passenger saloons during initial trials were
82 dB(A) and 76 dB(A) respectively. This trial also showed that noise generated
from the hull bottom with the vessel at high speed (115 dB(A) in forward voids) was
contributing significantly to the interior noise levels. Therefore, following this trial two
forms of noise reduction were installed. Firstly, polymer panels were applied to
areas of the bottom structure to provide mass damping of these panels and
secondly, a layer of sandwich construction insulation with a high density middle
layer was applied across the underside of the deck in way of the passenger saloon.
The combined effect of these treatments was to reduce the average noise level in
the lower deck passenger saloon to 75 dB(A) and to 72 dB(A) in the upper deck
saloon.

The performance data obtained from the sea trials has been corrected for the
addition of the bow T-foil drag and weight to confirm the final speed prediction with
various engine options as shown in Figure 20.

7
THE FUTURE

The Patricia Olivia II is the first ferry of its type to offer a fully loaded service speed
in excess of 50 knots. However, there is an increasing requirement for even higher
speeds and to meet this need, NGA are currently working on a modified design of
the NGA45m using 2 x Detroit Diesel TF100 Marine Turbine Systems to give fully
loaded speeds close to 60 knots.

In addition to the current growth in larger high speed passenger/car ferries there is a
high level of interest in 300 to 500 passenger ferries with very high operating
speeds. Design and tank testing has already been completed by NGA for a 70 knot
Pentamaran high speed passenger ferry as shown in Figure 21, and it is likely that
vessels with this order of speed will be in service in the year 2000.

Looking further ahead, it is felt that the 100 knot ferry will be realized in the next
decade and the challenge to industry will be to design and regulate these ultra fast
vessels to ensure passenger safety.

8
AUTHORS’ BIOGRAPHIES

JOHN BONAFOUX

Since graduating as a Naval Architect in 1983, John Bonafoux worked as a

Research Engineer for Vosper Hovermarine Ltd, before moving to Watercraft
Defence and Commercial Division Ltd where he worked on the design of various
types of patrol craft. He then returned to work on the development of high speed
ferries at Vosper Hovermarine Ltd until 1986.

He was a founding partner in Nigel Gee and Associates in 1986 and has since
been Technical Director of the company.

GAVIN HIGGINS

Graduated Southampton College in 1983 with a Degree in Naval Architecture.

Worked for R E Derecktor in Rhode Island for two years on the 270ft USCG
WMEC Cutters and 202ft Staten Island Ferries.

Joined the Naval Architecture office of J W Gilbert & Associates of Boston,

Massachusetts in 1985 and worked on a number of passenger ferries and fishing
boat designs as well as various consultancy projects.

Left Gilberts in 1988 to become the Chief Engineer of R E Derecktor in

Mamaroneck, New York where he has been responsible for the construction of
sail and motor yachts.

In 1993 became a Chartered Engineer and in 1997 became the General Manager
of R E Derecktor. Currently is a member of the Royal Institute of Naval
Architects and also, a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine
Engineers.

9
38m High Speed Catamaran Ferry
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
For New York Fast Ferries

Figure 1
NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Operating Route - Florida

Figure 2
 NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Operating Route - Argentina / Uruguay

Figure 3
NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
General Arrangement

Figure 4
 NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Principal Particulars

LOA 45.60 m

LWL 40.15 m

Beam Moulded 11.80 m

Draught 1.50 m

Speed (Full Load) 52 knots

Passenger Capacity 300

Figure 5
 NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Hull Form Optimisation

NYFF Fast Ferry Hull Form Buquebus Fast Ferry Hull Form
Designed for 36 knots (Fn=1.0) Designed for 50 knots (Fn=1.3)

Figure 6
NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Tank Testing At Marintek

Figure 7
NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Exterior Styling

Figure 8
 NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Transverse Structural Arrangement

Figure 9
 NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Finite Element Model for Engine Room Structure

Figure 10
NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Cincinnati MA107 Gearbox

Figure 11
 NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
3-D CFD Model for Waterjet Inlet Design

Figure 12
MJP / MTD
NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
FRP Waterjet Inlet Duct

Figure 13
NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Machinery Arrangement

Figure 14
NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Ride Control System Surfaces

Figure 15
NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Sea Trials

Figure 16
 NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
Trials Results - Full Load Displacement DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.

(No T-Foil)
12000

11070 kW
11000
10511 kW

10000

9000
Sea Trial Results
NGA Predictions
Total Power (kW)

8000

7000

52 knots

53 knots
6000

5000

4000

3000

2000
20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
Speed (knots)
Figure 17
 NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Calm Water Resistance

Total Resistance
Frictional Resistance
Drag

25 27.5 30 32.5 35 37.5 40 42.5 45 47.5 50 52.5 55

Speed (knots)

Figure 18
 NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
Noise Level Trials

85 Initial Sea Trial

82 After Noise Reduction

80
Noise Level (decibels)

76
75
75
72

70
67
66

65

60
Lower Pax Upper Pax
Wheel House
Saloon Saloon

Figure 19
 NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
Calm Water Performance With Various DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.

Machinery Options
(Full Load Displacement With T-Foil)
16000

14000
2 x TF100 (2 x 6.918 MW)

12000
Shaft Power (kW)

2 x TF80 (2 x 5.535 MW)

10000

2 x Solar Taurus (2 x 4.6 MW)

8000

6000

2 x TF40 (2 x 2.77 MW)

40 knots

48 knots

52 knots

58 knots
4000

2000
20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Speed (knots)
Figure 20
 NGA 45m High Speed Catamaran
DERECKTOR COMMERCIAL INC.
The Future….
70 Knot Pentamaran Passenger Ferry

Figure 21