Damen to supply five coastal ferries to Zanzibar government

Damen Shipyards Group has been awarded a contract to supply five inshore ferries to the government of Zanzibar.

The ferries will be used to carry tourists visiting Pemba Island and others nearby in the Zanzibar Archipelago. Delivery is scheduled for July 2020.

The contract is for three eight-metre vessels and two 12-metre vessels capable of transporting up to 30 and 70 people, respectively, together with a spare parts package for the first year of operation and on-site training in operating and maintaining the vessels.

The ferries will have welded aluminium hulls, diesel engines, waterjet propulsion, and an operational speed of around five knots.

Intended to be capable of fulfilling duties additional to that of transporting tourists and their luggage, the ferries will also include benches and bow ramps to allow easy unloading/disembarkation directly on to the sand beaches that are common around the islands. Further, the waterjet propulsion systems will have stainless steel pumps, hence making the vessels well suited for operations in water with high concentrations of sand and silt.

Construction of all five vessels will take place at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld.