History
Name
  • Water Jet 2
  • Supercat 18
  • FastCat Shanklin
  • Sochi-2
Operator
Port of registry
RouteRyde to Portsmouth: 2000-2009
BuilderKværner Fjellstrand (S), Pte. Ltd., Singapore
Yard number020
Laid down5 October 1994
Launched9 September 1996
Maiden voyage1996
In service1996
Identification
FateSold to Russia 2011
General characteristics
Tonnage482 GT
Length40 m
Beam10.10 m
Draught1.70m
Propulsion2× 16cyl MTU16V396 diesel engines driving waterjets
Speed34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Capacity361 passengers
Crew4-5
Notes[1]

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]

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. ↑ "Ilfracombe Swansea ferry pays visit to Ilfracombe harbour". www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010.
  6. ↑ "The first FastCat arrives". Severn Link. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  7. ↑ "THE Fastcat ferries lined up to run the service between Ilfracombe and Swansea have been put up for sale". www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010.
  8. ↑ "FASTCAT SHANKLIN (Passenger) Registered in United Kingdom - Vessel details, Current position and Voyage information - IMO 0, MMSI 235000367, Call Sign ZQQY5".
  9. ↑ "Devon Live - Latest local news, sport & business from Devon".
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