Incat

Incat is an Australian manufacturer of high-speed craft catamaran ferries. Its greatest success has been with large, sea going passenger and vehicle ferries, but it has also built military transports and since 2015 it has built smaller river and bay ferries. Based in Derwent Park, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, it was founded by Bob Clifford.
The company builds vessels using aluminium construction, wave-piercing and water-jet technology. Vessels have been constructed up to 130 metres in length with a size of 13,000 gross tons or with cruising speeds of up to 58 knots.

History

The company began in 1972 as the Sullivans Cove Ferry Company in suburban Hobart and built four small ferries before International Catamarans was formed in 1977 by a partnership between founder Bob Clifford and marine architect Philip Hercus. This partnership created plans for what was probably the first large wave piercing catamaran in the world. However the partnership was dissolved in 1988 with Clifford remaining in Hobart trading as Incat Tasmania while Hercus returned to Sydney to establish Incat Designs, a design company that became Incat Crowther after a merger in 2005. Incat Crowther has no association with Incat Tasmania and its ships are built by other companies. Incat Tasmania has its own in-house design company, Revolution Design.
In 1989 Incat Tasmania moved to its present location on Prince of Wales Bay, which allowed it to build larger ships, and in 1990 Incat delivered its first 74-metre fast catamaran ferry. At the same time, several other companies also began to build large aluminium vehicle carrying ferries. This new type of ship was revolutionary and over the next decade fast cats replaced most hydrofoil and hovercraft services as well as many monohull ferries. The success of this new type of ferry led to other shipbuilders around the world using their yards to build large vehicle carrying aluminium catamarans. However many ferry operators preferred traditional monohull designs, and the limited market for 'fast cats' became crowded with manufacturers bidding low to keep their shipyards working.
In August 2024, Incat purchased 12 hectares of land from Norske Skog to build a second shipyard on part of the Boyer Mill site.

Products

Large wave piercing passenger and vehicle ferries

In 1990 Incat was one of the pioneers of large, fast catamaran ferries and they have been its core product ever since. The type of ship was different from earlier ferries and its instant success led to Incat becoming a major player in the industry. Marine-grade aluminium alloys such as 5083 are critical in achieving the necessary low weight to reduce drag at higher speeds. Over the years innovation has led to the ships becoming bigger, faster, more fuel efficient and much more stable on rough seas. Vehicle decks are often movable to make way for high trucks or extra cars.
Ships in this category have been built from 74 to 130 metres long and from 3,000 to 13,000 gross tons. The 99-metre HSC Francisco is the world's fastest ship in commercial service and can achieve speeds up to.

Smaller passenger ferries

Incat began by building small ferries under 37 metres, but from 1990 it concentrated on larger vehicle-carrying catamarans. However, in 2015 the company resumed building smaller ferries and in that year it delivered river ferries for operation in London, Hobart and Sydney. Since then it has designed and built more smaller ferries including two 35-metre, 400 passenger ferries for commuter runs by Port Phillip Ferries from Melbourne Docklands to Portarlington and Geelong.

Military vessels

In the 1990s several catamarans built by Incat entered naval service as fast transports, including HMAS Jervis Bay with the Royal Australian Navy and HSV-X1Joint Venture, Spearhead and HSV-2 Swift, which served with the United States Armed Forces.

Other vessels

K class

In the mid-1990s Incat built three "K class" ferries. They are 70 to 80 metres long, low profile passenger vessels without wave piercing bows or the distinctive centre bow that characterise all other larger Incat ferries. Two were built by Incat in Hobart and a third was built by a Chinese partner. Plans for further Chinese built K class ferries did not eventuate and Hull NF08 remains the only Incat vessel not built in Hobart.

Oil rig tender

Most offshore oil rigs are exposed to rough open seas with crew transfers by helicopter and freight needs served by platform supply vessels. However Azerbaijan's offshore oil rigs are in the calmer waters of the Caspian Sea, the world's largest lake, so crew transfers can be comfortably and more economically undertaken by water. Several fast catamarans have been built to transfer both crews and cargo for this market including Incat Hull 074 Muslim Magomayev delivered in 2015. The size of catamarans that can be built for this niche market is restricted by the 16.5-metre width of locks on the Volga–Don Canal that connects the Caspian Sea with the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

Brooke Street Pier

From 1990 Incat had almost exclusively built large catamarans, but this changed in 2014 when the company diversified into something that was not even a ship, although it did float. An earlier Brooke Street Pier ferry terminal on Hobart's waterfront needed replacement and Incat was commissioned to build an 80 x 20-metre floating pontoon. Hull 077 was towed eight kilometres from Incat's shipyard to Sullivans Cove before finishing work was done on site. In addition to ferry berths, the pier hosts a restaurant, a cafe and a number of stalls.

Luxury super yachts

The market for opulent motor yachts has grown rapidly in the 21st century and while the market is mostly for monohull vessels, catamarans are beginning to make inroads. Incat has released several designs ranging from 80 to 112 metres which are shown on their website.

Deliveries

In its early years Incat built smaller boats and ferries with little to distinguish it from other boat yards except for a willingness to experiment and innovate. But the revolutionary Hull 023 completed in 1990 was quite different and was the first of the type of ferry that Incat is best known for today with its large capacity, high speed, wave piercing hulls and distinctive centre bow. As one of the first large aluminium vehicle carrying catamarans in the world, it contributed to the big changes in the ferry industry that occurred in the 1990s.

Image	Hull no	Length / class	Gross tonnage	Delivered	Latest name	Operator	Notes
	001	18m cat		1977	Jeremiah Ryan	Unknown
	002	18m cat		1979	James Kelly	Unknown
	003	??m cat		1980	A. K. Ward	Derwent Sailing Squadron
	004	20m cat		1981	Fitzroy	Unknown
	005	20m cat		1981	Tangalooma	Unknown
	006	20m cat		1981	Amaroo II	Unknown
	007	20m cat		1982	Green Islander	Unknown
	008	20m cat		1982	Quicksilver	Unknown
	009	29m cat		1982	Spirit of Roylen	Unknown
	010	21m cat		1983	Trojan	Unknown
	011	22m cat		1984	Keppel Cat I	Unknown
	012	??m cat		1983	Thunderbird	Unknown
	013	9 m cat		1982	Little Devil	Unknown	launched 1984
	014	?? m cat		1984	Pybus Rutherglen Punt	Unknown
	015	?? m yacht		1984	Margaret Rintoul	Unknown
	016	27m cat		1985	Spirit of Victoria	Unknown
	017	31m cat		1986	Tassie Devil 2001	Unknown
	018	23m cat		1987	Starship Genesis	Unknown
	019	31m cat		1988	2000	Unknown
	020	30m cat		1986		Wightlink	Scrapped at Marchwood in 2008
	021	30m cat		1986		Wightlink	Scrapped at Esbjerg in 2009
	022	37m cat		1988	Sea Flight	Cruise Whitsundays
	023	74m WPC	3,012	1990	Cat	Seajets	The first large, aluminium, vehicle carrying catamaran built by Incat and one of the first in the world. Has operated in 3 continents
100px	024	74m WPC	3,454	1992		Baleària
	025	74m WPC	3,003	1990	High Speed Jet	Seajets
	026	74m WPC	3,003	1991	Caldera Vista	Seajets
	027	74m WPC	3,003	1992		ColoniaExpress	-
	028	74m WPC	3,003	1992		Seajets
	030	74m WPC	3,241	1993	Hanil Blue Narae	Hanil Express	Formerly known as Condor 10
	031	74m WPC	3,231	1993		Dae-A-Gosok	Refitting at Busan
	032	74m WPC	4,994	1993		Ferrylineas S.A.
	033	78m WPC	3,989	1994		Baleària–Bahamas Express
	034	78m WPC	3,989	1995	Fares 2	Maritime Company for Navigation, Saudi Arabia	Formerly Elanora operated by El Salam Maritime
	035	78m WPC	3,989	1995		Seajets	Last Incat vessel fitted with a bow door
	036	70m K class	1,760	1995		Buquebus
	037	78m K class	2,450			ColoniaExpress
	NF08	80m K class	2,357	1998	Harmony Flower	H Ferry Korea	Built in Panga, China under contract from Incat as part of a plan to build K class vessels there. Only one was built in China
	038	81m WPC	4,112	1996		Baleària
	039			1996	Solar Boat	Incat R&D craft
	040	81m WPC	4,113	1996	Elite Jet	Seajets
	041	81m WPC	4,305	1996		Baleària
	042	86m WPC	5,005	1996		Seajets	Formerly Condor Express for Condor Ferries.
	043	86m WPC	5,007	1997		DFDS Seaways
	044	86m WPC	5,005	1997		Seajets	Formerly Condor Vitesse for Condor Ferries
	045	86m WPC	5,007	1997		Seajets	Formerly Condor Rapide for Condor Ferries and HMAS Jervis Bay
	046	91m WPC	5,617	1997	T&T Express	Government of Trinidad & Tobago	Sank in April 2021
	047	91m WPC	5,902	1998		Golden Star Ferries
	048	91m WPC	5,617	1998		Seajets	Previously Cat-Link IV, Max Mols
	049	91m WPC	5,619	1998		Seajets	Previously Cat-Link V, Mad Mols, Master Cat, Fjord Cat, Skane Jet
	050	96m WPC	5,743	1998		Isle of Man Steam Packet Company	Previously HSV-X1 Joint Venture
	051	96m WPC	5,528	1999	Giga Jet	Seajets	Previously Bonanza Express, Artemis, Poniente Jet
	052	96m WPC	6,346	1999		Acciona Trasmediterránea
	053	96m WPC	6,344	1999		Fred Olsen Express
	054	R&D craft			Wing	Incat
	055	96m WPC	6,344	2000		Fred Olsen Express
	056	96m WPC	6,360	2000	Volcan de Teno	Naviera Armas	Formerly Highspeed 6 at Hellenic Seaways
	057	98m WPC	6,581	2000		Brittany Ferries	Formerly operated Normandie Express for Brittany Ferries then Condor Ferries
	058	98m WPC	6,554	2003		Fred Olsen Express
	059	98m WPC	6,464	2002	Hai Xia Hao	Fujian Cross Straight Ferry	Operates between Taiwan and China. Formerly ran as The Cat from eastern USA to Canada and Bahamas
	060	98m WPC	6,581	2000		Government of Trinidad & Tobago	Formerly the US military's USAV Spearhead
	061	98m WPC	6,581	2003	HSV-2 Swift	United States Navy 2002–2013. In UAE service from 2015. Seajets 2017 -	Major damage to port bow after missile attack off Yemen in 2016. Towed to Greece for repairs. Not operational
	062	98m WPC	6,581	2006	Volcán de Tirajana	Naviera Armas	Formerly Milenium Tres at Acciona Trasmediterránea
	063	17m cat		2006	Sixty Three	17m Project Pty Ltd	Tera Jet 2
	064	112m WPC	10,841	2007	Tera Jet 2	Seajets
	065	112m WPC	10,715	2008	Natchan World	Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry
	066	112m WPC	10,503	2009		Molslinjen	Previously Norman Arrow, KatExpress 1
	067	112m WPC	10,503	2013		Molslinjen	Previously KatExpress 2
	068	85m WPC	5,702	2015		DFDS Seaways	Operating the Algeciras to Ceuta route across the Strait of Gibraltar. Formerly Sado Steam Ship connecting Sado island in Eastern Japan with the main island of Honshu. Under construction
	069	99m WPC	7,109	2013		Buquebus	Fastest ship in the world
	070	17m		2016	Gwenhyfar	Privately owned	Cruising ketch
	071			2011	The Barge	Tas Marine Constructions
	072	15m		2011	Lindoy	Stava Bat & Dykkerservice	Delivered to Norway 16 November 2011
	073	34m		2015	MR-1 or Mona Roma	Navigators / Secheron Holdings for Museum of Old & New Art	Delivered 9 February 2015. Operates on Derwent River, Hobart
	074	70m FCB	1,439	2015	Muslim Magomayev	Caspian Marine Services	Launched 2014, named after Muslim Magomayev
	075	35m	155	2015	Galaxy Clipper	Thames Clippers	Entered service October 2015
	076	35m	155	2015	Neptune Clipper	Thames Clippers	Entered service October 2015
	077			2014	Brooke Street Pier	Brooke Street Pier Development Corporation	Pier, completed November 2014 Displacement 4,200 tons
	078	24m		2015	Ocean Tracker	Manly Fast Ferry	Entered service 23 December 2015
	079	24m		2015	Ocean Wave	Manly Fast Ferry	Entered service 23 December 2015
	080	33m		2016	Ocean Surfer	Manly Fast Ferry	Entered service March 2016
	081	33m		2016	Ocean Flyer	Manly Fast Ferry	Entered service March 2016
	082	35m		2016	Catherine Hamlin	Sydney Ferries	In service
	083	35m		2017	Fred Hollows	Sydney Ferries	Entered service 26 June 2017
	084	35m		2017	Victor Chang	Sydney Ferries	In service
	085	35m		2017	Pemulwuy	Sydney Ferries	In service
	086	35m		2017	Bungaree	Sydney Ferries	In service
	087	35m		2017	May Gibbs	Sydney Ferries	Entered service December 2017 as Emerald 6, renamed January 2018
	088	109 m	10,842	2017		Molslinjen	Entered service June 2017. 1,000 pass, 417 cars. Previously KatExpress 3.
	089	110 m	9,044	2018	St John Paul II	Virtu Ferries	For service in Malta, due to commence operations in March 2019.
	090	35 m		2017	Bellarine Express	Port Phillip Ferries	405 passengers. In service on Port Phillip between Melbourne Docklands and Portarlington
	091	111 m	10,870	2019	Volcán de Tagoro	Naviera Armas	35 knots cruising speed. 1,1184 passengers, 390 cars, 595 lane metres of ro-ro cargo. Cost €74 million
	092	33 metres		2018	Ocean Adventurer	Manly Fast Ferry
	093	111 metres		2021	Volcán de Taidia	Naviera Armas
	094	100 metres		2021	Buccoo Reef	Government of Trinidad and Tobago	Operates between Port of Spain and Scarborough
	095	35 metres		2019	Geelong Flyer	Port Phillip Ferries	Operates between Melbourne and Geelong complementing the earlier Melbourne to Portalington service
	096	130 metres	13,000	2026	China Zorrilla	Buquebus	World's largest battery electric aluminium ship, 40 MWh battery, 226 cars, 2,100 passengers, to operate between Argentina and Uruguay
	097	76 metres	3000+	2022	Santa Monica 1	Seaworld Express Ferry	Operates between Jindo and Jeju in South Korea. 700 passengers and crew, 79 cars.
	098	120 metres			.	Undisclosed
	099	76.7 metres	3000+	2023	El Dorado Express	Daezer	Operates between Pohang and Ulleungdo in South Korea at up to 50 knots
	100	78 metres		2026	.	Undisclosed	12 MWh Hybrid battery electric powered
	101	78 metres		2027	.	Undisclosed	Hybrid battery electric powered
	102	129 metres		2027	.	Molslinjen	45 MWh battery electric for Aarhus-Odden
	103	129 metres		2028	.	Molslinjen	45 MWh battery electric for Aarhus-Odden
Image	Hull no.	Length / class	Gross tonnage	Delivered	Latest name	Operator	Notes

In the "Length / class" field of the table WPC means the vessel is a wave piercing catamaran. The three K class vessels were a low profile design without the wave piercing bows and the capacity to carry fewer cars than traditional Incat designs.
In the competitive ferry industry, ships often change operators, especially in Europe. Other ferries have alternated between summer service in the northern and southern hemispheres every six months. Some Incat vessels of the 1990s have been operated by up to six shipping companies with regular name changes.
Gross tonnage is a measure of a ship's enclosed volume rather than its weight or displacement, so similar ships can have differing gross tonnages due to factors such as whether a viewing platform is fully enclosed or open to the weather.