Work at BREDO between May and August, which also involved Bremerhaven’s Weser Stahl Bau (WSB), covered the extensive conversion and partial renewal of the stern ramp to suit landing facilities in the ports of Tarifa and Tangiers and allow transport of 15m buses as well as cars. The ship has both bow and stern ramps but the stern facility had to be lengthened to 21.5m, making it the biggest ever built for a catamaran, FRS said.

Accommodation was also increased by 100 to 900 passengers, the Duty Free area revamped and new livery added. Crew quarters, catering and passenger information systems were upgraded and engines were overhauled.

The elegant 6,420 gt Tanger Jet 11 draws 3.2m and is powered by four MTU 20V 8000 engines, each of 8,200 kW for a total 32,800 kW output providing a maximum speed of 45 knots. Now the fastest ferry in the Mediterranean, as well as the biggest ever to operate between Spain and Morocco, it carries 238 cars, or 10 trucks and 150 cars, and is now serving alongside three other high speed FRS catamarans.

They are the Tanger Jet, which carries 572 passengers and 140 cars, Thundercat 1 for 600 passengers and 140 cars, and Tarifa Je,t which can cope with 800 passengers and 175 cars.  Between them, they carried more than one million passengers and well over 200,000 vehicles last year.