HSC Francisco
High speed catamaran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Francisco is a high-speed catamaran built by Incat in Hobart, Australia. It is the first large high-speed craft powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG)[4][5] in the world.[6] The project was partly financed in 2011 by Australia's Export Finance and Insurance Corporation.[7]
Francisco in Buenos Aires | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Uruguay | |
| Name | Francisco |
| Namesake | Pope Francis |
| Owner | 2013–present: Buquebus |
| Route | Buenos Aires—Montevideo |
| Builder | Incat, Hobart, Australia |
| Yard number | 69 |
| Launched | 17 November 2012 |
| In service | 2013 |
| Home port | Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Identification |
|
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 7,109 GT; Summer DWT: 500 t; 1,516 tonnes of displacement[1] |
| Length | 99 m |
| Beam | 26.48 m |
| Installed power | 6 Caterpillar C18 generators for onboard power + 2 Caterpillar C9 generators for main engine services |
| Propulsion | 2 General Electric LM2500 rated at 22 MW each[2] driving 2 Wärtsilä LJX1720 SR Waterjets |
| Speed | 51.8 knots (59.6 mph; 95.9 km/h) service speed, 58.2 knots (67.0 mph; 107.8 km/h) maximum |
| Capacity |
|
She is currently the fastest passenger ship in service, reaching a speed of 58.2 knots (107.8 km/h; 67.0 mph), although her maximum continuous speed is 51.8 knots (95.9 km/h; 59.6 mph). It has a capacity of a thousand passengers and 150 cars,[8] served by 24 crew. Four 340kW diesel generators provide electricity for the ship's onboard functions.[9]
The catamaran is owned and operated by Argentine-Uruguayan ferry company Buquebus. Francisco plies the 146-nautical-mile (270 km; 168 mi) route across the Río de la Plata between Buenos Aires and Montevideo,[10] in around two hours and 45 minutes. It has four travel classes and a duty-free shop.[9]
HSC Francisco is named after Pope Francis.
LNG operation
The company receives gas from the Vaca Muerta field via the gas network,[11] and produces 66 tons of LNG per day from seven production units at its facility in San Vicente near Buenos Aires, sufficient for two round-trips per day for the ship.
This facility has a 4.5 MW electricity grid connection, 4 MW electricity generation, and 2,000 tonne LNG storage.[12] The company sends the LNG in LNG-powered tank trucks to the ship,[13][6][14] where two tankers transfer the LNG to the ship in less than an hour.[9]
Each of the two hulls have one 43 m³ cryogenic double-wall stainless steel tank keeping the LNG at -163°C,[9] sufficient for 4 hours of sailing to make the roundtrip to Montevideo and back. Propulsion is by two General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, coupled with two Wärtsilä water-jets,[15] ejecting 24 tons of water per second.[16] Each of the two turbines are started with a 200 kW engine–generator. The turbines burn marine gasoil for a few minutes, and automatically switch to LNG when the turbine exhaust is hot enough to vaporize the LNG through heat exchangers. Port manoeuvering is also handled on gasoil.[9]
