Castoldi has won a momentous contract to supply waterjets for new ferries being built to substantially improve transport and infrastructure in the Maldives.
The contract will see over 80 Turbodrive 400 H.C. waterjets supplied to equip the new vessels being built by UAE shipyard giant Gulf Craft at its Maldives Shipyard. Under instruction of the Maldives President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, in a move to vastly improve the local transportation.
“We are proud to be part of such a major project that will make a tremendous difference to the transport and infrastructure throughout the Maldives,” said Giacomo Castoldi, owner, Castoldi.
“Gulf Craft Maldives was founded 20 years ago with the aim of providing world-class ferry boats to transport the people of Maldives. The same goes remains until today and will continue to be part of the shipyard.” said Terry Stamatakos, General Manager of Gulf Craft Maldives. He added: “We worked closely with Castoldi as our strategic partner to deliver the Touring 51 ferries to the government and their performance exceeded expectations, thanks to their Turbodrive 400 HC waterjets.”
Reliable propulsion
The waterjet that Castoldi is supplying for the Maldives ferries, the Turbodrive 400 H.C., is known for its reliability and performance. It was the same waterjet chosen to equip the 80 interceptor boats of the Indian Navy, which have successfully been in operation since 2013.
“The Turbodrive 400 H.C. Waterjet is the perfect choice for these vessels, designed to be lighter with integrated gearbox and ideally suited to the varying conditions of the Maldives, operating perfectly in shallow sandy water conditions and with optimum speed and control during voyage,” said Mr Castoldi.
Renowned for its impressive performance, the Turbodrive 400 H.C. is installed worldwide on various types of commercial, military and pleasure vessels. The jet is a compact and versatile marine propulsion system providing excellent towing power, cavitation resistance and great efficiency at high speed. It can also be equipped with Castoldi’s innovative Clear-Duct unclogging system and controlled by the ACES Electronic Control System. The integrated Castoldi gearbox is very light and simple as it is contained in the waterjet housing. Therefore, offering one of the most efficient light weight propulsion systems available on the market today.
Ground-breaking ferries
When completed, the fleet of Gulf Craft Touring 51 ferries will be operated by Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) and will act like a system of public buses, taking the locals from island to island and creating a seamless transport network.
The first four vessels for the Maldives Raajje Transport Link (RTL) network were officially handed over by Gulf Craft to MTCC in January 2022. They are currently undergoing route and schedule testing at HDh Atoll before ferry services officially begin.
Gulf Craft is marking 20 years of its operation in the Maldives, which has played a pivotal role in developing the marine transportation network of the island nation. The shipyard provides almost 80% of the Maldives’s water transportation services which includes public transport, coast guard, emergency & ambulance services, resorts and leisure boats.
Gulf Craft is now developing a new production facility dedicated to the manufacturing of vessels for use in the Indian Ocean which will see its operations and production capacity double within 16 months.
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