South Shields based Solar Solve Marine recently supplied a consignment of 5 SOLASAFE anti-glare roller blinds and 6 CASSLITE blackout fabric blinds for the bridge windows of a newly constructed vessel at the Brødrene Aa, shipyard in Hyen, Norway. They also supplied 55 DIMMLITE fabric roller blinds for the passenger areas of this 40 metre carbon fibre catamaran named Jin Zhu Hu, the first of 2 fast ferries ordered by Guangzhou Liuanshan Port Passenger Transport Co. Ltd, Hong Kong. A similar consignment of 66 Type Approved roller blinds and fabric blinds has also been supplied by Solar Solve for the sister vessel.
Equipped with 2x MTU 16V2000 M72 engines and the new S63-4 waterjets from Rolls Royce, the 270 passenger Jin Zhu Hu achieved a top speed of 35 knots, carrying 30 tonnes of dead weight. A floating floor has been installed to reduce noise level, and during trials an average of only 66 decibels on main deck and 59 decibels on the upper deck was recorded.
Brødrene Aa is a world leader in the construction of vessels made of carbon fibre composites and are known for pioneering the use of them for fast ferry applications. Carbon fibre reinforcement provides high strength and rigidity at extremely low weights and are mainly used in aircraft construction. Jin Zhu Hu is the first vessel to be built with Brødrene’s brand new exterior design which has been developed in cooperation with Oslo based Hareide Design.
The main benefits for use in fast ferries are the savings in running costs due to the reduction in expensive fuel being burned, the extra speed that can be achieved and the fact that carbon fibres do not rust or corrode like metals.
John Lightfoot, Solar Solve Marine’s Chairman commented, “Just about every week at least one consignment of our Brand Leading products is destined for an innovative vessel of some description, to benefit the personnel who work on the navigation bridge mainly. With these 2 pioneering fast ferries the passengers will also benefit from the DIMMLITE fabric roller blinds installed at the windows in the passenger areas to protect them from the sun.”
“Shipowners and builders who are involved in developing and operating the world’s most revolutionary vessels work with reliable subcontractors to supply them with the first class products needed to successfully fulfil their demanding specifications and the Solar Solve Marine team are very happy to oblige.”
After successfully performing technical sea trials, the carbon fibre hulled 40mtr catamaran Jin Zhu Hu is loaded onto its carrier to be delivered to Hong Kong for handover to the fast ferry’s new owners. Both Jin Zhu Hu and her sister vessel have a mixture of 66 anti-glare roller screens and fabric blinds, manufactured and supplied by Solar Solve Marine, installed for the safety and comfort of their passengers and personnel.
