Built in 2013, and owned by the Argentine ferry company Buquebus, the HSC Francisco is a jet-powered catamaran ferry that operates the 140-mile (225-km) route across the Rio de la Plata estuary between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay. With a top speed of 58.1 knots (67 mph; 107 km/h), it is the fastest ferry in the world.
The HSC Francisco, named after Pope Francis, the first Argentinian Pope, was built by Australian shipyard Incat in Hobart, Tasmania. It measures 99 m (325 ft) long by 26.48 m (86.9 ft) wide and has a gross tonnage of 7,109.
It is powered by two GE LM2500 gas turbine jet engines which can run on liquefied natural gas. Each develops 59,000 horsepower (43,394 kW), which in turn drive a pair of Wartsila LJX 1720 SR waterjets, propelling the ship forward.
The vessel can carry 1,024 passengers and 150 cars on each crossing.
