Four Days to France - container ships - Brief Article

Boat/US Magazine, Jan, 2000

Time is money, even on the high seas, and by 2003, a new breed of container ships could be crossing the Atlantic with time-sensitive cargo in just three to four days.

Gas turbine engines coupled with five water-jet drives will move the four vessels now on order at speeds to make PWC owners take notice. The 870-foot ships are designed to cruise at 40 knots, in seas up to 13 feet, in regular service between Philadelphia and Cherbourg, France.

After a decade of design work, Fast-Ship, Inc. placed orders for the four ships last summer. The American-owned company expects its patented innovations in hull design and propulsion to guarantee seven-day, door-to-door North Atlantic transportation. Sea trials are expected late in 2002.

The high-speed container ships could pose problems for recreational boaters in the Delaware Bay and the immediate offshore area, even though the vessels can not operate at full speed in approaches and navigation channels, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Offshore sailors who suffer from nightmares of lost containers drifting semi-submerged on the high seas will be relieved to know that all 1,400-plus shipping containers can be secured inside the vessels. These will be carried on two cargo decks designed for roll-on, roll-off cargo handling through the stem.