A NEW Caledonian shipping firm has placed an ordered for a high-speed aluminum catamaran vessel from FBMA Marine Inc., a unit of the Aboitiz Transport System Corp.

Christian Neuzeret, director of SAS Sudiles, on Tuesday said they would spend $20 million for the vessel to replace their older vessel that was delivered about seven years ago.

Neuzeret, along with a delegation from the New Caledonia government, are in the Philippines this week to, among others, visit the FBMA Marine shipyard in the central Philippine province of Cebu.

Neuzeret said the vessel would be delivered in October.

The high-speed catamaran, with a top speed of 33 knots, can accommodate up to 350 passengers and 15 tons of cargo. It will operate on the same infrastructure route which connects Noumea to the outlying islands of Iles des Pins, Mare, Lifou and Ouvea.

The country of less than 300,000 people has only one ferry-passenger service that goes to the other islands to deliver goods and passengers.

FBMA Marine bagged the contract earlier this year after its Australian competitor revised upward its price and other shipyards are already full, Neuzeret said.

“It will replace the old vessel, we might buy two more vessels in the coming years if we are satisfied with their [FBMA Marine] job,” said Neuzeret. He did not elaborate.

Sudiles’ needs a fuel-efficient vessel that offers exceptional sea-keeping and passenger comfort in the rough sea conditions of the South Pacific. “Having worked extensively to understand the client’s priorities, FBMA Marine and BMT—Nigel Gee Ltd., the architect of the vessel—developed an extremely economic, high-performance solution.

Upon evaluation in a series of precontract model tests, the new design came out to exceed Sudiles’ requirements, FBMA Marine said in an earlier statement. The vessel would be classed by the Bureau Veritas under IMO HSC 2000 Cat B regulations.

The new vessel is the first major project collaboration between FBMA and BMT. “BMT’s hull design balances the need for sea-keeping and fuel economy, [and] has been developed from the highly successful ModCAT hull form used initially for SeaFighter, a 73-meter catamaran for the United States Navy,” the company said.

“This is an extremely important, exciting project for both FBMA Marine and the fast-ferry industry. This new catamaran design pushes back conventional boundaries and provides the operator with a more fuel-efficient platform with excellent sea-keeping capabilities. We look forward to working with SAS Sudiles and continuing to meet all their vessel requirements,” the FBMA said.

Rerouting around Naia begins May 15

STARTING May 15, cargo trucks, buses and tricycles plying the Domestic Road and Andrews Avenue leading to the Manila Domestic Airport and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) are advised to take alternate routes on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa), Roxas Boulevard or the Diosdado Macapagal Avenue, as authorities are in the process of easing traffic in these highly congested areas around the premier airport.

A NEW Caledonian shipping firm has placed an ordered for a high-speed aluminum catamaran vessel from FBMA Marine Inc., a unit of the Aboitiz Transport System Corp.

HONG KONG—Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., two of the world’s three largest shipyards, fell after Merrill Lynch & Co. lowered their ratings on concern of slower orders in the second half.

LONDON—The Baltic Dry index, a measure of shipping costs for commodities, declined for the first time this month as demand weakened on national holidays in Asia and Europe.

TOKYO—Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd., Japan’s second-largest shipping line by sales, will exceed its first-half operating profit forecast by “several billion yen” as it charges more to transport coal and iron ore.