SeaLink North Queensland’s Maggie Cat has been awarded the Best Small Fast Ferry at the Baird Maritime Best of 2022 Awards.
Constructed in 2022 by local Queensland boat builder, Commercial Marine Australia (CMA), Maggie Cat is a worldclass all-aluminium, lightweight, and fuel-efficient passenger vessel. Able to carry 340 passengers across three decks, Maggie Cat is SeaLink’s newest ferry for the service between Townsville and Magnetic Island and used for popular North Queensland Adventure Day tours.
SeaLink North Queensland General Manager Darren Spearman said SeaLink is proud to offer locals and tourists the quickest link from Townsville to Magnetic Island. In just 20 minutes you can be on North Queensland’s best island to visit, relax and explore.
“Maggie Cat’s 360-degree viewing capability is ideal for locals and tourists visiting Magnetic Island and is perfect for our Orpheus Island and whale watching day tours. We are also about to launch a new product the Great Barrier Reef snorkelling day tour to John Brewer Reef,” he said.
“On Maggie Cat Guests can enjoy ample seating in air-conditioned comfort, views from our upper sundeck and a fully stocked kiosk.
“We are so pleased with our boat builder, CMA, who surpassed our expectations in delivering such a high-quality vessel for our customers’ enjoyment and this award is due acknowledgment of the quality of their craftsmanship.”
According to Spearman, Maggie Cat will celebrate its first anniversary in June and has already covered thousands of kilometres, transporting passengers to and from Magnetic Island and on our tour offerings.
“Magnetic Island is such a wonderful part of Queensland. From snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef, whale watching to experiencing its nature, history and geography, Maggie is truly a little piece of paradise.”
“We are seeing a strong number of visitors to the region and an increase this year in international visitors which is great to see after three years of the pandemic impacting international inbound,” Spearman said.
SeaLink Marine & Tourism Chief Operating Officer, Donna Gauci said “Maggie Cat was just one of the eight SeaLink vessels constructed in Queensland over the last five years, as part of our $23million investment in local marine vessel manufacturing.”
“This industry award is a fantastic achievement and recognition for how well SeaLink and Commercial Marine Australia worked together to build a worldclass vessel purpose-built for North Queensland conditions as well as being maintenance friendly, lightweight and boasting lower operational costs such as fuel.”
“Millions of passengers each year entrust SeaLink to form part of their valuable holiday experiences, so it is so important we get them there in comfort, safely and reliably.
“That is why we are proud to keep investing in several new boat builds to ensure we continue to provide our passenger with a brilliant customer experience,” she said.
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