Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with South Korea’s Starline Co. Ltd. for the delivery of a new Damen Fast Ferry 4212. Available from stock at Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam, the shipbuilder expects to deliver the vessel just seven weeks after the contract signing on 12th May.

Starline has purchased the vessel to operate the route between Busan on the mainland and the Japanese island of Tsushima. Currently, the company operates a Damen Fast Ferry 4010 and wanted a slightly larger vessel, suited to the sometimes harsh, open sea conditions experienced on the route.

Ready for the season

Due to its practice of building standard vessels in series for stock, Damen already had the Fast Ferry 4212 available. Additionally, Damen had already outfitted the vessel to ensure that it would be ready for delivery in time for the summer season. Damen is continuing to construct and outfit vessels, such as the Fast Ferry 4212 design, for stock to provide its clients around the world with rapid access to their next vessel.

Preparing the ferry in this way reduces the already quick delivery time from six months to just a few weeks. The success of the Fast Ferry 4212 – Damen has sold eighteen such vessels to date – has provided Damen with a clear view of market requirements enabling them to bring the vessel almost to completion in advance of a purchase. In the coming weeks, the shipbuilder will finalise the vessel, making minor customisations to meet Starline’s requirements.

Suited to South Korea

The Fast Ferry 4212 is an aluminium catamaran vessel designed to offer optimal passenger comfort with high fuel efficiency and low maintenance requirements. The 42.2 metre vessel is able to transport up to 439 passengers at speeds of up to 40 knots.

The Damen Fast Ferry has proven to be a very suitable vessel for the South Korean market. To date, the company has sold eight vessels from the series to the country, six of which are of the Fast Ferry 4212 design. Following the order, Damen has assisted Starline with the sale of its existing vessel, the Fast Ferry 4010, via its in-house brokerage service, Damen Trading.

Damen Regional Sales Director Asia-Pacific Thomas Röwekamp said, “We are very proud that Starline, already an existing Damen client, has once again placed its trust in us for the purchase of a second Fast Ferry, as well as the sale of its previous vessel. I’m looking forward very much to continuing to work together with Starline in the future.

“This contract is a clear demonstration of the benefits of the Damen stock building strategy in action, providing clients with the fastest possible delivery of a proven product. It also reaffirms the suitability of the Damen Fast Ferry designs to the requirements of the South Korean public transportation sector.”

Mr Choo, representative of Starline said, “When we decided to invest in a new ferry we knew where to go. Damen has an excellent track record in serving the public transport sector in South Korea. Additionally, having operated the Damen Fast Ferry 4010 since 2016, we were aware of the high quality of the series. We were impressed that Damen was able to deliver the vessel we were looking for in such a short space of time. Besides this, the assistance Damen is providing in the sale of our current vessel is very much appreciated.”