Goa-based family-run Synergy Shipbuilders has been awarded a $20 million contract by Tanzania's state-owned Zanzibar Shipping Corporation to build two high-speed crafts, each with a capacity to carry 650 passengers. Synergy Shipbuilders outbid three Chinese shipyards to secure the contract, according to Siddarth Malik, a representative of the company. The 53-meter aluminium catamarans, designed by Dutch firm Coco Yachts, are engineered to achieve speeds of 40 knots in waves up to 4 meters high. Classified by the Italian society RINA and adhering to IMO-HSC-2000 regulations, the vessels will operate under the Zanzibar flag. The high-speed crafts will be constructed at a two-acre site allocated by the Mumbai Port Authority, as Synergy’s Goa facility is fully booked for the next 12 months. Delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026. The contract qualifies for shipbuilding financial assistance under the Union government’s scheme. Synergy Shipbuilders is renowned for its expertise in constructing high-speed aluminium passenger ships, landing crafts, anchor handling tug supply vessels (AHTS), jack-up barges, cargo vessels, tankers, tugs, Ro-Pax aluminium vessels, and high-speed patrol and pilot vessels. Currently, the yard is working on India’s first Unrestricted Pleasure Craft, its first indigenously designed high-speed crew boat, and a 390-passenger vessel. (ET)