Wight Shipyard Co (WSC) — based in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight — has completed its second export order. It has supplied two 37m-long fast ferries to Ultramar, which is the largest ferry operator in Mexico.

CEO Peter Morton (www.wightshipyard.com) said: “Our standards and attention to detail are of paramount importance to producing not only an on-time build but also one of superior quality.

"Ultramar provides both commuter ferries and holiday destination vessels, and the level of fit-out is far higher than normal commuter boats. Stages for lives bands, multi-coloured LED lighting above and below the waterline, and very powerful sound systems were a first for us.”

Mr Morton pointed out that the criticalissues for this contract were timely delivery and the weight-saving target that needed to be achieved, as fuel costs are high in Mexico.

The vessels were designed by Portsmouth-based Incat Crowther, which has a long-standing relationship with WSC and Ultramar; WSC’s previous export order (to Austria) was also based on an Incat Crowther design.

Ultramar said that one of the main reasons for choosing WSC was that the yard has a strong reputation for delivering on time (the ferries were built and finished in 10 months).

In addition, the vessels are 20,000kg lighter than comparable models; this was achieved by using new construction techniques (developed by WSC), the use of light-weight materials and an attention to detail.