Closely following the award-winning Vision of the Fjords and its sister-ship Future of the Fjords, Brødrene Aa’s new carbon fiber catamaran is called Rygerdronningen, constructed for Rødne Fjord Cruise to take tourists on sustainable sightseeing tours through the famed Lysefjord in Rogaland, Norway.
Rødne Fjord Cruise
With 18 vessels, Rødne Fjord Cruise is one of Norway’s largest high speed-ferry companies. It was founded in 1956 to provide school transport to and from the Sjernarøy islands, but today Rødne offers transportation, sightseeing and adventure trips on express boats. It also operates ambulance boats from Stavanger and Bergen.
The Rygerdronningen
With a top speed of 19.9 knots, the shipping company’s new catamaran Rygerdronningen is 37 meters long, 10 meters wide and has room for 297 passengers. The vessel has panoramic windows in the main and grand lounge and comfortable seating areas where tourists can enjoy food and drinks. The stunning view of Preikestolen, Fantahålå, Hengjandefossen and the other attractions in Lysefjorden can also be enjoyed from the deck.
Divinycell H60 with high strength-to-weight ratio
To achieve her ultra-lightweight displacement, Rygerdronningen has been built using infusion carbon fiber sandwich technology. The sandwich panels are made using Divinycell products from H60 up to H200 in 30-60 mm thickness with vacuum infusion. Divinycell H range is closed-cell PVC structural foam. It is particularly suited for marine applications due to its high strength to weight ration and durability. Widely used, it has a proven track record in virtually every application area where sandwich composites are employed, including marine, transport, wind energy and civil engineering. It is compatible with most wet resin systems and its low thermal conductivity makes it especially suitable as insulation at low or cryogenic temperatures.
Composite adventure toward greater sustainability
Rødne Fjord Cruise has bought 19 vessels from Brødrene Aa during the past 50 years and was a partner in the development project which led to the first commercial carbon fiber boat, Rygerdoktoren, in 2001. "Rødne has been a pioneer of environmentally-friendly carbon fiber vessels and it is very pleasing to us that the shipping company now has received carbon fiber vessel number 12, which is also the biggest so far,” says Tor Øyvin Aa.
Divinycell FRP-reinforced sandwich panels
Diab has been working with Brødrene Aa since 1974 and together they have developed several fast-going ships in Divinycell FRP-reinforced panels. As an early champion of carbon fiber sandwich constructions, Brødrene Aa appreciates the reduced weight and the increased strength of the material. Compared to fiberglass sandwich and aluminum, carbon fiber provides four times the rigidity of fiberglass reinforcement, as well as two to three times the tensile strength.
