Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary
High-Speed Craft, Hydrofoils and Ferry Operators glossary
Terminology of fast ferries and advanced marine vehicles: air cushion vehicles and surface-effect ships under the HSC Code, catamaran and SWATH design parameters like air gap and wet-deck clearance, hydrofoils, the Austal Auto Express platforms, and the ro-pax and high-speed operators such as Adria Ferries running short-sea passenger and vehicle services.
191 defined terms.
A
- ACV (Air Cushion Vehicle)
- Craft supported by a cushion of pressurised air contained by a flexible skirt, capable of operating over water, ice, marsh and beach. Regulated under the HSC Code when carrying passengers…
- Adria Ferries
- Italian operator headquartered in Ancona, running conventional ro-pax services between Italy and Albania, including Ancona to Durres.
- Aegean Speed Lines
- Greek high-speed operator (defunct 2015) that ran Speedrunner monohull HSCs from Piraeus to the Western Cyclades.
- Air Cushion
- Pressurised volume of air between the hull and the surface that lifts an ACV or SES off the water, reducing drag.
- Air gap
- Vertical distance from the fuel surface to the top of the tank, used in ullage measurement.
- ALH (Austal Auto Express)
- Marketing name for the Austal series of large vehicle-passenger catamarans derived from the 101 m and 102 m platforms.
- Aluminium Construction
- Dominant hull material for HSCs above 30 m, used by Incat and Austal, valued for low weight and good fatigue performance with 5083 and 5383 plate.
- ANEK Lines
- Cretan ferry company founded 1967 operating Piraeus to Heraklion and Piraeus to Chania alongside Adriatic services to Italy.
- Aquastrada
- Trade name of the Fincantieri-built monohull HSC series, including TMV 101 hulls.
- Aremiti
- Brand of Tahitian operator Degage SARL running catamaran ferries between Tahiti and Moorea, including Aremiti 5 and Aremiti Ferry.
- Atlantico Line
- Azores operator running Lagoa, Furnas and other catamarans between Sao Miguel, Terceira and Faial.
- Attica Group
- Greek ferry holding owning Superfast Ferries, Blue Star Ferries, and Hellenic Seaways under the Marfin Investment portfolio.
- Austal Ships
- Western Australian shipbuilder founded 1987 in Henderson by John Rothwell, also operating a US yard in Mobile, Alabama for naval LCS and EPF programmes.
- Auto Express 82
- Austal aluminium catamaran platform of 82 m used by operators including Atlanticoline and Sea Express.
- Auxiliary Foil
- Smaller forward or stern foil on a hydrofoil that complements the main lifting foil, common on the Boeing 929 Jetfoil's canard arrangement.
B
- Balearia
- Spanish ferry company founded 1998 in Denia operating Balearic, Strait of Gibraltar, and Canary Islands services with LNG dual-fuel ro-pax.
- Ballast Transfer
- Active trim control on large catamarans and SWATHs using pumped water between fore and aft tanks to manage pitch.
- Bell-Halter
- American SES design family from the 1980s that became the basis for the US Navy's SES-200 and several patrol craft.
- Big Cat
- Informal name applied to large catamaran HSCs of 80 m and above, in particular the Incat 91 m and Austal 101 m platforms.
- Blue Star Ferries
- Attica Group brand operating Aegean services to the Cyclades, Dodecanese, and Crete from Piraeus.
- Boeing 929 Jetfoil
- Fully submerged hydrofoil designed by Boeing Marine Systems in Seattle, 250 passenger waterjet propelled craft, later built under licence by Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
- Bonanza Express
- Incat 81 m wave-piercer operated by Fred Olsen Express on the Canary Islands inter-island routes.
- Bornholmslinjen
- Danish ferry brand operating Ronne to Ystad and Ronne to Koge under Molslinjen ownership.
- Bow Form (Wave-Piercer)
- Slender lower bow that drives through wave crests instead of climbing them, Incat's defining hull feature.
- Brittany Ferries
- French ferry operator running the western Channel and Bay of Biscay routes.
- Brodrene Aa
- Hyen-based Norwegian builder of carbon fibre composite passenger catamarans used by Norled and Tide.
- Buquebus
- Argentine-Uruguayan operator running fast craft including the Incat 99 m Francisco LNG-fuelled catamaran across the River Plate.
C
- Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac)
- Scottish state-owned operator running ro-pax and small fast craft to 50-plus West Coast and Hebridean ports under Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract.
- Canard Foil
- Forward main foil arrangement, used on the Boeing 929 Jetfoil with two forward struts and one aft strut.
- Carbon Fibre HSC
- Composite high-speed craft pioneered by Brodrene Aa, weighing roughly half a comparable aluminium catamaran.
- Caremar
- Naples-based Italian operator (Campania Regionale Marittima) running fast ferries and hydrofoils to Capri, Ischia and Procida.
- Cat-Link IV
- Sister to Cat-Link V, briefly held the Hales record in 1998 before being beaten by V the same year.
- Cat-Link V
- Incat 91 m wave-piercer that won the Hales Trophy in 1998 with an average speed of 41.284 knots on its westbound transatlantic record.
- Catamaran
- Twin-hull vessel with high transverse stability.
- Categories A and B (HSC Code)
- HSC Code 2000 passenger craft categories, where Category A is up to 450 passengers within 4 hours of a place of refuge and Category B carries enhanced survivability.
- Centre Hull (Trimaran)
- Main load-bearing hull of a trimaran HSC such as Austal's Benchijigua Express, flanked by two smaller amas.
- CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics)
- Numerical hull form optimisation tool used extensively in HSC design to predict resistance and seakeeping.
- Channel Islands
- British Crown Dependencies of Jersey and Guernsey served by Condor Ferries from Poole, Portsmouth, and St Malo.
- CNFF (Chu Kong Passenger Transport)
- Hong Kong to Pearl River Delta high-speed operator, formerly using a fleet of Boeing 929 Jetfoils.
- Color Line
- Norwegian ferry operator between Norway and Germany or Denmark.
- Composite Hull
- Glass or carbon fibre reinforced plastic primary structure, common on craft below 50 m and on Brodrene Aa Norwegian builds.
- Condor Ferries
- Channel Islands operator running fast craft and conventional ferries between the UK, Channel Islands, and St Malo.
- Condor Liberation
- Austal 102 m trimaran built 2010 as Austal Hull 270, transferred to Condor Ferries in 2015.
- Condor Rapide
- Incat 86 m operated by Condor between 1997 and 2020 on the Channel Islands routes.
- Corsica Ferries Sardinia Ferries
- Italo-French operator running Toulon, Nice, Savona and Livorno to Corsica and Sardinia, including Mega Express Five HSC.
- Cotai Water Jet
- Hong Kong to Macau operator run by Sands China using Austal 47 m and 49 m catamarans.
- Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV)
- Offshore wind crew boat.
D
- Damen FCS Series
- Damen Fast Crew Supplier range from FCS 1605 to FCS 7011, monohull and twin-hull crew boats used in offshore oil, gas and wind.
- DFDS
- Danish ferry and ro-ro operator across the North Sea, Channel, and Baltic.
- Discovery Bay Ferry
- NWFB-affiliated Hong Kong operator running catamarans between Central Pier 3 and Discovery Bay on Lantau Island.
- Displacement Mode
- Operating regime below hump speed where a craft is supported by buoyancy rather than dynamic lift.
- Dover-Calais HSC
- Historic SeaCat and Hoverspeed Great Britain catamaran services, discontinued in 2005 when Hoverspeed closed.
- DSC Code
- Code of Safety for Dynamically Supported Craft, IMO Resolution A.373(X) of 1977, predecessor to the HSC Code.
- Dynamic trim
- Trim variation with speed due to sinkage moments.
E
- Eckero Line
- Estonian-Finnish ro-pax brand of Eckero group running Helsinki to Tallinn with M/S Finlandia.
- Eckero Linjen
- Aland Islands ferry operator (Rederiaktiebolaget Eckero) running Eckero to Grisslehamn with the M/S Eckero.
- EPF (Expeditionary Fast Transport)
- US Navy's Spearhead-class 103 m aluminium catamarans built by Austal USA in Mobile.
- Escape Route
- Required under SOLAS II-2/13.
- Evacuation Time
- HSC Code mandates full evacuation in 17 minutes for Category A craft, demonstrated by full-scale trial.
- Express 1
- Austal 113 m trimaran built 2017 for Molslinjen, holding records on Aarhus to Odden route.
- Express 4
- Austal 109 m catamaran of Molslinjen, sister to Express 5 on the Kattegat.
F
- F1 Class (FBM)
- FBM Marine catamaran design family used on routes including Portsmouth-Ryde and Liverpool-Dublin.
- FBM Marine
- Cowes-based catamaran designer of the Tricat and Catalyst series, later absorbed into other yards.
- Fincantieri
- Italian shipbuilder, prime contractor for FREMM and Constellation.
- Finnlines
- Finnish ferry operator owned by Italy's Grimaldi Group operating Baltic ro-pax and ro-ro routes from Helsinki, Naantali, Vuosaari, and Kapellskar.
- Foil Loading
- Lift force per unit area on a hydrofoil's main foils, typically 30 to 70 kN per square metre on the Boeing 929.
- Foilboat
- Generic and trade term for small hydrofoils, also a Westport-derived design family.
- Foilcat
- Kvaerner Fjellstrand 35 m foil-assisted catamaran combining surface-piercing foils with twin slender hulls, used in Hong Kong.
- FoilJet
- Generic term for waterjet propelled hydrofoils such as the Boeing 929.
- Fred Olsen Express
- Canary Islands subsidiary of Fred Olsen running Incat 96 m Bencomo Express, Bocayna Express and Bajamar Express.
G
- Gas Turbine
- Common HSC prime mover, including GE LM2500 on Stena HSS 1500 and Pratt and Whitney FT8 on some Incat hulls.
- GE LM2500
- General Electric marine gas turbine derived from the TF39 aero engine, widely used in surface combatants of about 25,000 shp.
- Griffon Hoverwork
- Southampton-based hovercraft builder formed by merger of Griffon Hovercraft and Hovercraft Manufacturing, builder of 8000TD and 12000TD craft for Hovertravel.
- Grimaldi Lines
- Mediterranean passenger and freight brand of the Grimaldi Group serving Italy, Spain, Greece, Tunisia, and Morocco.
H
- Hales Trophy
- Blue Riband trophy for fastest commercial transatlantic crossing, held by Cat-Link V at 41.284 knots from 1998.
- Harbour Speed
- Speed limit, typically 5 to 10 knots, applied to HSCs within port limits and pilotage areas.
- Hayama Marine
- Japanese coastal fast ferry operator running Boeing 929 Jetfoil and small catamarans.
- Hellenic Seaways
- Attica Group brand operating Aegean conventional and fast craft services from Piraeus and Rafina.
- Highspeed 4
- Incat 81 m wave-piercer of Hellenic Seaways serving Piraeus and the Cyclades.
- Highspeed 7
- Austal 99 m built 2014 for Hellenic Seaways on the Heraklion route.
- HKKF (Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry)
- Operator running Central to Cheung Chau, Mui Wo and Peng Chau with conventional ferries and FastFerry Tricat 24 m catamarans.
- Hovermarine
- Southampton-based builder of the HM-2, HM-216 and HM-218 sidewall hovercraft used in Hong Kong and the Persian Gulf.
- Hoverspeed
- UK English Channel operator from 1981 to 2005 using SeaCat catamarans and the SR.N4 Princess Anne and Princess Margaret.
- Hovertravel
- Solent hovercraft operator running Ryde to Southsea services to the Isle of Wight.
- HSC Code 1994
- International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft adopted by Resolution MSC.36(63), in force from 1 January 1996.
- HSC Code 2000
- Revised code adopted by Resolution MSC.97(73), applicable to HSCs built on or after 1 July 2002.
- Hull Vane
- Stern-mounted hydrofoil that reduces resistance and improves seakeeping, retrofitted on some Damen FCS units.
- Hump Speed
- Speed at which planing craft transition through maximum resistance before climbing onto plane.
- Hydrofoil
- Lifting surface that supports a hull above the water.
I
- Incat 130 m
- Largest Incat platform, including the LNG-fuelled Hull 096 for Buquebus.
- Incat Tasmania
- Hobart-based aluminium catamaran builder founded in 1977 by Robert Clifford.
- Inertial Reference Unit (IRU)
- Sensor that provides pitch, roll and yaw information to a Jetfoil's ACS (Automatic Control System) for foil command.
- Interceptor
- Vertical blade at the transom that modulates trim and lift on high-speed craft, supplied by Humphree, Zipwake and Naiad.
- International Catamarans Pty Ltd
- Original name of Incat before rebranding.
J
- Jadrolinija
- Croatian state-owned operator headquartered in Rijeka, running coastal and Adriatic international services with catamarans and ro-pax.
- Jet Drive
- Waterjet propulsor, dominant HSC propulsion above 30 knots, supplied by Rolls-Royce Kamewa, Wartsila, MJP and Hamilton.
- Jetfoil
- Boeing's trade name for the 929-100 and 929-115 fully submerged hydrofoils, with 250 to 285 passenger capacity.
- JR Beetle
- Japan Railways Kyushu operated Boeing 929 Jetfoil running Hakata to Busan, marketed as Beetle.
K
- Kamewa Waterjet
- Swedish waterjet brand acquired by Rolls-Royce in 2000 and later Kongsberg.
- Kawasaki Jetfoil
- Licence-built version of the Boeing 929 produced by Kawasaki Heavy Industries from 1989.
- Knot
- One nautical mile per hour.
- Kometa
- Soviet-era 30 m hydrofoil designed by Rostislav Alekseyev, surface-piercing foils, widely exported.
- Krilo Shipping
- Croatian operator (Kapetan Luka) running fast catamarans on Split, Hvar, Korcula and Dubrovnik routes.
- Kvaerner Fjellstrand
- Norwegian builder of the Foilcat 35 and Flying Cat aluminium catamarans.
L
- LCS (Littoral Combat Ship)
- US Navy Independence class trimaran built by Austal USA in Mobile.
- Liberation
- See Condor Liberation.
- Long Sea HSC
- HSC Code term for craft operating more than 4 hours from a place of refuge for passengers.
- Lyrra (MV Lyrra)
- Wave-piercing catamaran historically operated by Stena and other charterers in northern Europe.
M
- Manannan
- Incat 96 m wave-piercer of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, built 1998 as USS Joint Venture HSV-X1, acquired 2008.
- Mannin
- Smaller Incat catamaran operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company before Manannan.
- MDV 1200
- Fincantieri monohull HSC of 95 m, including Aquastrada series for Tirrenia.
- MDV 3000
- Larger Fincantieri monohull HSC including Capricia and Capricorn for Caremar.
- Mega Express Five
- Corsica Ferries Italian-built monohull HSC of 175 m, serving Toulon and Nice to Corsica.
- Minoan Lines
- Cretan ferry company owned by Grimaldi Group operating Piraeus to Heraklion and Adriatic services.
- Moby Lines
- Italian ferry company operating Tyrrhenian routes from Genoa, Livorno, Piombino, and Naples to Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily.
- Molslinjen
- Danish ferry operator running Jutland to Zealand fast craft and the Bornholmslinjen brand.
- Monohull HSC
- Single-hull high-speed craft, including planing and semi-planing forms used by Fincantieri Aquastrada and KMI SuperSeaCat.
N
- Norled
- Norwegian operator that pioneered carbon-fibre Brodrene Aa catamarans and the world's first LNG car ferry MF Glutra.
- NWFF (New World First Ferry)
- Hong Kong operator running Central to Cheung Chau, Mui Wo and Peng Chau and Macau routes until 2021.
O
- Operational Limits
- HSC Code mandates a Permit to Operate that specifies wave height, wind, visibility and distance from refuge.
- Outrigger (Trimaran)
- Smaller side hulls (amas) of a trimaran, providing transverse stability rather than primary buoyancy.
P
- P&O Ferries
- UK ferry operator on the Dover-Calais and North Sea routes.
- Pentamaran
- Five-hulled HSC concept patented by BMT Nigel Gee, no commercial passenger craft built.
- Permit to Operate
- HSC Code certificate listing routes, operational limits, manning and shore support, mandatory for all HSC service.
- Plane
- Operating regime where dynamic lift supports the majority of vessel weight.
- Polferries
- Polish state operator (Polska Zegluga Baltycka) running Swinoujscie to Ystad and Nynashamn.
- Princess Anne
- SR.N4 Mk3 hovercraft, served on Dover-Boulogne and Dover-Calais routes with Hoverspeed, preserved at Lee-on-the-Solent.
- Princess Margaret
- Sister SR.N4 Mk3 hovercraft to Princess Anne, scrapped in 2018.
Q
- Quasi-Static Trim
- Steady running trim of an HSC at service speed before transient effects of waves are added.
R
- Red Funnel
- Solent ferry operator running Southampton to East Cowes vehicle and Southampton to West Cowes Red Jet passenger services.
- Red Jet 6
- 41 m aluminium catamaran built 2016 by Shemara Refit Works for Red Funnel, carries 275 passengers.
- Red Jet 7
- Sister to Red Jet 6, built 2018, the largest in the Red Jet fleet.
- Ride Control
- Active interceptor or T-foil system that damps pitch and roll on HSC, supplied by Maritime Dynamics and Naiad.
- Robert Clifford
- Founder and chairman of Incat Tasmania, Tasmanian shipbuilder and original architect of the wave-piercing catamaran.
- Rostislav Alekseyev
- Soviet designer of the Raketa, Meteor, Kometa and Voskhod hydrofoils.
S
- Sado Kisen
- Japanese operator linking Niigata with Sado Island using Boeing 929 Jetfoils branded Tsubasa.
- Scandlines
- Danish-German short-sea ferry operator running Puttgarden to Rodby and Rostock to Gedser hybrid ferries.
- SeaCat
- Marketing name for early Incat 74 m wave-piercers used by Hoverspeed and Sea Containers.
- SeaCat Tasmania
- Hull 025, the original Incat 74 m wave-piercer, holder of the Hales Trophy in 1990.
- Sealink Travel Group
- Australian operator running ferries on Kangaroo Island, Sydney Harbour and other routes through Captain Cook Cruises and SeaLink brands.
- SES (Surface Effect Ship)
- Hybrid craft with rigid sidewalls and flexible bow and stern seals containing a pressurised air cushion.
- SES-200
- US Navy 30 m experimental SES based on the Bell-Halter BH-110, in service 1981 to 1995.
- Shock Mitigation
- Seat and structural design intended to reduce vertical accelerations on passengers, governed by HSC Code Annex 9.
- South Boats IOW
- Isle of Wight builder of crew transfer catamarans for the offshore wind sector.
- SR.N4
- Saunders-Roe Nautical 4, 56 m commercial hovercraft, four built including Princess Margaret and Princess Anne, in cross-Channel service 1968 to 2000.
- SR.N5
- Smaller Saunders-Roe ACV that pioneered Hovertravel's Solent service in 1965.
- SR.N6
- Stretched SR.N5 used by Hovertravel on the Solent until 1983.
- Star Ferry
- Hong Kong Victoria Harbour passenger ferry operator founded 1880 connecting Tsim Sha Tsui, Central, and Wan Chai.
- Stena Carisma
- Smaller HSS 900, 88 m monohull HSC, Gothenburg-Frederikshavn 1997 to 2013.
- Stena Discovery
- HSS 1500, Hoek van Holland to Harwich 1997 to 2007.
- Stena Explorer
- Lead Stena HSS 1500, served Holyhead-Dun Laoghaire 1996 to 2014.
- Stena HSS 1500
- 124 m Westamarin/Finnyards built superferry catamarans, four built capable of 40 knots with 1500 passengers and 375 cars.
- Stena Line
- Swedish ferry operator across Northern Europe.
- Stena Voyager
- HSS 1500, Stranraer-Belfast 1996 to 2011.
- Submerged Foil
- Fully immersed hydrofoil arrangement requiring active control, as on Boeing 929 Jetfoil.
- Sun Ferry
- Chu Kong-controlled Hong Kong operator running Central to Mui Wo, Peng Chau and Cheung Chau and Tuen Mun to Tung Chung.
- Superfast Ferries
- Attica Group Adriatic brand operating Patras and Igoumenitsa to Ancona and Bari.
- SuperSeaCat
- Fincantieri/Kvaerner Masa-built 100 m MDV monohull HSCs, four built including Sea Containers, later Tallink ownership.
- Surface-Piercing Foil
- Self-stabilising hydrofoil with foils breaking the surface, used on Rodriquez RHS series and Soviet Kometa.
- SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull)
- Twin-hull design with submerged torpedo lower hulls and slim struts piercing the surface.
T
- Tallink Silja
- Estonian-Finnish operator (Tallink Grupp) running Helsinki, Tallinn, Stockholm, Riga and Turku routes with ro-pax and the Star and MyStar fast ro-pax.
- TIDE Sjo
- Norwegian operator running Brodrene Aa carbon fibre catamarans on Hordaland and Sogn fjord routes for Skyss.
- TMV (Trans Mediterranee Vessels)
- Fincantieri's family designation for medium HSC, including TMV 101 and TMV 114 Aquastrada hulls.
- Tokai Kisen
- Japanese operator running Tokyo to Izu Islands via Boeing 929 Jetfoils branded Seven Islands.
- Trimaran HSC
- Three-hulled high-speed craft, commercial examples include Benchijigua Express (Fred Olsen, 2005), Condor Liberation and Molslinjen Express 1.
- TT-Line
- German-Swedish operator on Travemunde, Rostock to Trelleborg.
- TurboJET
- Hong Kong-Macau ferry brand of Shun Tak-China Travel Ship Management, historically operated 11 Boeing 929 Jetfoils and Foilcats.
- Twin Skeg Catamaran
- Catamaran with two demi-hulls connected by a structural wet deck, the standard Incat and Austal configuration.
U
- Underwater Foil
- Generic term for hydrofoil lifting surfaces, surface-piercing or fully submerged.
- United States (Hales Trophy)
- SS United States held the trophy from 1952 until 1990 when SeaCat Tasmania broke it, regained briefly by Cat-Link in 1998.
- USS Joint Venture
- HSV-X1, Incat 96 m wave-piercer operated 2001 to 2008 by the US Navy and Army, later sold to Isle of Man Steam Packet as Manannan.
V
- Vehicle deck
- ro-ro internal deck level.
- Vehicle Lane Metre
- Standard unit of ro-pax capacity, 2 m wide truck lane.
- Viking Line
- Finnish ferry operator on the northern Baltic, owner of Viking Cinderella.
- Voskhod
- Soviet-era 27 m surface-piercing hydrofoil, successor to the Raketa, built by Feodosia Shipyard.
W
- Waterjet
- Pump-jet propulsor, dominant on HSC above 30 knots, with Kamewa, Wartsila Lips, MJP and Hamilton as main suppliers.
- Wave-Piercing Catamaran
- Incat-pioneered catamaran with slender lower bow that drives through waves instead of climbing them.
- Westamarin
- Norwegian builder of monohull HSCs including the W90 used by SNAV.
- WIG (Wing in Ground)
- Surface-skimming craft using ground effect, regulated under IMO MSC.1/Circ.1592 and excluded from the HSC Code definition.
- Wightlink
- UK ferry operator on the Solent serving the Isle of Wight.
X
- X-Bow
- Inverted-bow architecture pioneered by Ulstein, used on REV Ocean and other explorers.
Y
- Young Brothers
- Hawaii inter-island operator, freight focused, not HSC.
Z
- Zhuhai
- China Coast Guard South Sea regional command headquarters in Guangdong.
- Zipwake
- Swedish supplier of dynamic interceptor systems used on planing HSCs up to 30 m.
- Zubr-class
- Russian air-cushioned landing craft sometimes operated by FSB Border Service in Black Sea.