SeaBridge will build the high-speed pentamaran ships for a network of routes, which will carry trucks, cars and passengers between major metropolitan areas (initially on East and Gulf coast routes), thereby providing a highly cost-effective option to reduce the rapidly growing highway congestion in US coastal corridors.
SeaBridge will not compete for freight. Instead, it will provide an effective option for long-haul trucking customers to complete journeys without exposing drivers to frustrating delays and related risks on America's increasingly congested coastal highways. It will also provide an attractive alternative to millions of motorists who prefer to spend time at their destinations with their cars, yet skip the long drive along frequently clogged coastal highways. SeaBridge will provide the capacity to move more freight and passengers, faster, at lower total cost, with much less environmental impact than expanding any comparable infrastructure alternative.
SeaBridge, which holds an exclusive development agreement on the vessel, is using BMT's patented Pentamaran design because it enables a new generation of efficient, high-speed operations. The SeaBridge Pentamaran design is configured to carry trailers and/or cars and offers 2900 lane metres of car and truck capacity (approximately 173 trailers or 75 trailers and 500 cars). Passenger capacity is flexible, with up to 1800 passenger berths provided. The vessel has a maximum service speed of 42 knots at 90% MCR and is configured for maximum flexibility. Accordingly, it has a diesel electric propulsion plant allowing for efficient vessel operation at lower ship speeds. The structural design of the vessel has undergone preliminary design appraisal preview by DNV www.bmt.org. |
