Adriatic Fast Ferries Ltd acquired its first fast ferry

Adriatic Fast Ferries Ltd recently established Croatia ferry company, just acquired its first fast catamaran ferry.

The newly acquired vessel is ex-Red Funnel‘s Red Jet 3 catamaran which was built in 1998 on the Isle of Wight, UK by FBM Marine.

The vessel will sail under the new name Adriatic Express, which is yet to be confirmed.

Within her new service, Adriatic Express will be operating in the vicinity of the Split port, Croatia, where she will be serving passengers on the route from Split to Hvar, from the Split airport, stopping at Split’s ferry port and following the route to nearby islands including Hvar and Brac and possibly further afield.

The new 32-metre fast passenger catamaran can accommodate 186 passengers in a spacious, air-conditioned passenger cabin with leather seats and video. Tinted windows provide passengers with excellent all-around visibility. The vessel is powered by two MTU diesel engines, each driving an MJP waterjet to give a service speed of 35 knots.

Here is a video of the ferry lifted out of the water in Southampton on March 25, 2019, and loaded onto a marine freight forwarder, where she will be transported to Croatia:

Vessel’s Principal Particulars

Built: 1999 by FBM Marine Ltd, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
Category of craft: Cat. A Passenger Craft
Length: 32.90 metres OA
Beam: 8.32 metres moulded
Draught: 1.25 metres loaded
Tonnage: 22.11 deadweight, 213 tonnes gross, 77 tonnes net
Engines: 2 x MTU 12V 396 series, each rate 1,500kW @ 2,000 rpm
Propulsion: 2 x MJP J650R-DD waterjets
Speed: 35 knots @ 85 per cent MCR
Bunkers: 2,500 litres
Capacity: 190 seated passengers

New ferry company’s homepage: adriaticfastferries.com

Photos: https://www.maatsuyker.com/