HSC FastCat Shanklin

HSC FastCat Shanklin is a high speed catamaran ferry which operated between the Isle of Wight and mainland England. She operated on the Wightlink Ryde Pier to Portsmouth route from 2000 to 2009 along with her sister ship HSC FastCat Ryde. Prior to working for Wightlink, the ship worked in Singapore and was named Water Jet 2. In 1999, the year before it was sold to Wightlink, its name was changed to Supercat 18.[2]

History
Name:
  • Water Jet 2
  • Supercat 18
  • FastCat Shanklin
  • Sochi-2
Operator:
Port of registry:
Route: Ryde to Portsmouth: 2000-2009
Builder: Kværner Fjellstrand (S), Pte. Ltd., Singapore
Yard number: 020
Laid down: 9 September 1994
Launched: 1996
Maiden voyage: 1996
In service: 1996
Identification:
Fate: Sold to Russia 2011
General characteristics
Tonnage: 482 GT
Length: 40 m
Beam: 10.10 m
Draught: 1.70m
Propulsion: 2× 16cyl MTU16V396 diesel engines driving waterjets
Speed: 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Capacity: 361 passengers
Crew: 4-5
Notes: [1]

From early autumn 2009, Wightlink took delivery of two new vessels to operate the route, Wight Ryder I and Wight Ryder II.[3] Both the FastCat Shanklin and FastCat Ryde were retained by Wightlink until 2010, due to teething problems which occurred with the new vessels.[4] They were then sold on to new owners Severn Link. In January 2010, the FastCat Shanklin was re-painted into a new livery for use with Severn Link travelling between Ilfracombe and Swansea as part of a new catamaran service with a shorter travel time of 50 minutes. The re-paint occurred in Portsmouth Harbour and shortly afterwards the ferry departed for Swansea. On 29 January 2010 the ship arrived in the Bristol Channel and visited Ilfracombe before heading to Swansea Docks.[5] After arriving there it received an interior refurbishment.[6] However the proposed ferry service failed to start as stated by Severn Link at Easter 2010.

By August 2010 the planned ferry service had been postponed indefinitely and FastCat Shanklin was put up for sale along with her sister ship Rapparee (formerly FastCat Ryde).[7] On 3 August she moved from Swansea to Hythe, Hampshire.[8] In May 2011, having been sold to Alien Shipping, a Russian company, the two craft were transported to the Black Sea on board the Beluga Fantasy.[9]

References
  1. "HSC Our Lady Patricia". Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  2. "FastCat Shanklin - Wightlink". Ferry postcards and photographs. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  3. "Wightlink catamaran launched". Isle of Wight County Press. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  4. "Ferry problems again hit Wightlink". Isle of Wight County Press. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
  5. http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/news/Ferry-calls-Ilfracombe-harbour/article-1781026-detail/article.html
  6. "The first FastCat arrives". Severn Link. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  7. http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/news/sale-Fastcat-ferries-intended-Wales-link/article-2388484-detail/article.html
  8. http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?MMSI=235000367
  9. http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Channel-link-plan-finally-scuppered/story-11714349-detail/story.html
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