Italian boat builder Boschetti Shipyard has recently delivered the innovative passenger vessel 'Adriatic Princess 4' to Porto Rosa, where she has been utilised throughout the Mediterranean summer by Sicilian operator Aeolian Tourist Company for sightseeing operations.
Designed and constructed by Boschetti at its Cesenatico facility in the Adriatic Riviera, the vessel is the latest evolution of a concept the company has been producing and refining since 1959.
Constructed under survey to RINA, the 'Adriatic Princess IV' measures 30 metres in length and has a capacity of 306 passengers. The monohull hull form provides excellent hydrodynamic features, ensuring improved sea keeping qualities, as well as significantly reduced fuel consumption.
Two MAN engines, each rated for 1,043kW, power the wooden vessel to a cruising speed of 20 knots. Arranged in a classic engine room configuration, these engines are coupled to a pair of fixed-pitch propellers via ZF transmissions. Additionally, the engine room has been covered with a double layer of insulation, thus making the vessel particularly silent, even at high speeds.
On board, the vessel's two-and-a-half decks have been outfitted with an extensive range of luxury-style amenities and facilities, including two toilets (with access for disabled patrons), a bar, and a kitchen able to provide on board catering services.
Entrance to the 'Adriatic Princess IV' is via a transparent black crystal sliding door housed in an aluminium frame. This leads to the vessel's main lounge, which is elegantly furnished with cream-coloured sofas and large wooden tables.
Access to the second bridge is achieved not via a typical external entrance outside the superstructure, but rather via the saloon with two paired stainless-steel scales. This provides direct entrance to the lounge on the upper deck.
In the wheelhouse, on board electrical panels and storage compartments are housed within unvarnished mahogany – a considerable technological feat. The panels of the upper dashboard include control screens and remote controls supplied by Bosch.
The several switches, meanwhile, are made of aluminium, are painted white, and are partly covered with flame-retardant synthetic fabric. This same material was also used for the furnishings of the passengers' lounge.
Both the vessel's sun deck and third deck (located above the lounge) have been fitted with white monocoque seating and wooden flooring. These decks were then painted with high-strength coatings that also feature low environmental impacts.
Stefano Fermi
