Isle of Mahé – the new Cat Cocos |22 August 2013

Bigger inter-island ferry brings added comfort to passengers

Passengers going to Praslin can now travel on a new and bigger inter-island ferry and in better comfort.

This follows the launch on Tuesday of the Isle of Mahé – a new Cat Cocos vessel owned by the Inter Island Boat (IIB).
The ceremony took place at the Inter-Island quay in Victoria.

It was the Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange who had the honour of cutting the ribbon in the presence of former President Sir James Mancham, designated Minister Vincent Meriton, ministers Jean Paul Adam and Idith Alexander, and other distinguished guests.

The new vessel is 36 metres long and has three on board classes. Its main indoor cabin named ‘Coco de mer’ boasts larger windows offering great visual comfort and a driftwood effect flooring. It can accommodate 227 passengers.

The upper deck Eco-plus air cabin ‘Island Hopper’ holds 143 passengers and the new addition to the ‘Island Hopper’ class is the ‘Fly Bridge’ on the very top which can hold up to 72 passengers.

In his speech, Creole Travel Services general manager Guillaume Albert said: “We have voluntarily kept this bridge open except for the roof to protect our customers from the sun. We believe that on a beautiful day our clients should be able to enjoy an unobstructed vista of our beautiful region of the Indian Ocean.”

Located behind the wheelhouse on the middle upper deck, the business class ‘Lazio Lounge’ which can hold 23 passengers has its own staircase that will allow priority boarding for its customers.

The charm of the boat that enhances its soul is the art work design of the front hood. The art work was done by Andrew Palmyre of AP Design who won the competition launched by the IIB earlier this year when looking for a new front hood design.

As per tradition, before one launches a new ship or boat at sea it must be baptised with a bottle of champagne smashed on its bow. It was French ambassador Genevieve Iancu who had the honour of performing this rite. And upon doing so, she accepted of being the godmother of the Isle of Mahé.

Guests touring the various classes on board the vessel

After witnessing the baptism and cutting of ribbon, the guests were taken on a sunset cruise all the way to Beau Vallon and back to the Inter-Island quay.
Isle of Mahé is the fourth boat of the fleet and is the product of 15 years of operations by Cat Cocos.