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Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (KHI) confirmed on Tuesday that it has received a joint order from Tokai Kisen Co., Ltd. and the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT) for the construction of a Kawasaki Jetfoil.

The vessel is to be built at Kobe Works and, once delivered in June 2020, it will be used to transport passengers mainly between Tokyo Takeshiba Terminal and the Izu Islands.

Jetfoil is the name given to Kawasaki's hydrofoil and super-high-speed passenger ship. It utilizes the fully submerged foils at the fore and aft of the hull to lift the hull up off the water at the foilborne speed of more than 80 kilometres per hour.

To gain propulsion, two waterjet propulsors driven by two gas turbine engines that discharge seawater from nozzles at the aft end of the Jetfoil.

When the Jetfoil cruises at 43 knots foilborne speed, the gas turbine fuel (gas oil) consumption rate is said to be approximately 2,150 litres per hour.

The amount of bunker fuel used for a certain cruising distance is said to be similar to that of a diesel-engine-driven, high-speed ship such as a Swath-type vessel.

Image: Kawasaki Jetfoil vessel in service.