Leading global digital shipbuilder Incat Crowther has been commissioned by Cruise Whitsundays, part of Australia’s leading experiential tourism group Journey Beyond, to design a new, state-of-the-art passenger vessel. Incat Crowther’s scope of work includes the vessel design, tender process for the construction and advice on procurement and commercial processes. The new 36-metre vessel will be built by Austal Vietnam.
The vessel will be deployed year-round as a resort connection service between Airlie Beach, the resorts of Daydream Island and Hamilton Island and Cruise Whitsundays’ Reef World pontoons – located 39 nautical miles from shore at Hardy Reef.
Designed specifically for local conditions, optimised for its routes and tailored to infrastructure, the new vessel will accommodate up to 390 guests – including 10 wheelchair accessible spaces – and will travel at speeds of 25 knots at low engine loading offering high reliability and efficiency.
The multi-deck vessel boasts a range of outdoor and indoor seating options for Cruise Whitsundays’ passengers – including an open-air upper deck that can seat up to 48 passengers and a large viewing platform. The upper deck is also home to a crew room, administration office and a full width wheelhouse with wing stations.
The vessel’s mid-deck features a 36-seat First Class lounge with exclusive viewpoints through large windows from the comfort of first class seating, a lounge and dedicated bar. The mid-deck also features a Premium Class lounge for 64 passengers, while a further 80 passengers have access to an undercover outdoor seating area. It also features passenger bathrooms, a buffet service area and access to the vessel’s main deck via an internal staircase.
The cleverly designed main deck can seat up to 160 passengers and offers a large buffet service area and separate bar, a spacious galley with cold and dry food storage areas, a first aid room and three bathrooms, including one wheelchair accessible bathroom.
Dan Mace, Technical Manager of Incat Crowther said: “We’re excited to be working on this vessel, which Cruise Whitsundays have specified needs to be fully focused on providing a world class tourism experience while optimising operational flexibility, reliability and safety.”
Sture Myrmell, Chief Operating Officer of Journey Beyond said: “With demand continuing to grow, Cruise Whitsundays required an experienced team to help us expand our fleet. Incat Crowther’s deep knowledge of the local conditions and track record of delivering tailored vessels for similar operators here in Australia and around the world were some of the key reasons we chose to partner with them on this project. Incat Crowther’s end-to-end service also means we have confidence that they will partner with us along every step of the way, from design to construction and operation. We’re excited to be working with Incat Crowther and Austal Vietnam and can’t wait to see the boat hit the water.”
The new vessel will be powered by two Mitsubishi S16 T2MPTK engines and will boast Naiad active ride Control Systems for added comfort in wave heights of up to 2.5-metres.
Construction on the new vessel will take place across the 2026 calendar year.