A proposal for a fast passenger ferry operating in Italian coastal island

A research regarding the design of a passenger ferry for Italian coastal islands is in progress at the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Navale di Napoli. The research is based on the evaluation of the optimal speeds in relation whit customer’s expectations and running expenses. The typical service route for this kind of ship is between ten and thirty nautical miles. The most suitable operating speed was selected after an initial cost-benefit analysis; such speed is an intermediate value between those of present day ferries, which benefit from a significant displacement reduction due to hydrodynamic lift, and that of fully displacing hulls. The hull was designed as long and slender as possible, to obtain the maximum speed that is economically acceptable, with regard to harbour sizes, stability and routes’ characteristics. Two model have been tested and towing tank data are presented to explain the process performed to select geometric characteristics of hull to employ. Finally, a feasibility study is presented to confirm economic interest of proposed solution.