The Cahaya Baru, a 20m Catamaran Ferry that will operate in the Cocos Keeling Islands was successfully launched. Another product of the partnership between Richardson Devine Marine and Incat Crowther, the vessel was commissioned by the Commonwealth Government of Australia. The vessel is flagged by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

Cahaya Baru was designed to integrate with the existing infrastructure to ensure ease of access across a broad range of tides and vessel loading conditions. Water jet propulsion was selected to meet the draft requirement of the operation. Cahaya Baru has been optimized to transit between the Cocos Keeling islands, which are located in the Indian Ocean. The remote location calls for reliability, ruggedness and ease of maintenance.

The vessel’s air conditioned main deck cabin has seating for 70 passengers in forward-facing seats. Aft of the main passenger cabin are a pair of toilets, one of which is wheelchair accessible. The aft deck features a cargo area for transferring supplies and luggage between the islands. This cargo space has a capacity of 2t. A wide boarding zone facilitates rapid transfer for both passengers and freight.

Also located in the aft deck area is a pair of large engine maintenance and machinery removal hatches.

From the aft deck, stairs lead up to roof deck, where there are seats for a further 24 passengers. Forward of this is a half height wheelhouse which affords excellent visibility from the central helm position.

Cahaya Baru is powered by a pair of Cummins QSM11 main engines, each rated at 610 hp at 2300 rpm. Power is transmitted via ZF360 gearboxes to a pair of Hamilton HM422 Waterjets. On recent trials, a cruising speed of 20 knots was achieved at 80% MCR, with a top speed of 24.5 knots. Cahaya Baru will be loaded aboard a transport ship and will be transported to the Cocos Keeling islands, and is expected to enter service in July.