Patent ID: 8915762

Claim:
A catamaran vessel for embarking and disembarking loads, the vessel comprising: two side hulls, a mobile platform, mobile between the two side hulls; motorized propulsion devices arranged symmetrically with respect to the mobile platform, in the two side hulls, each of the motorized propulsion devices including: in the aft portion of the respective side hull, first and second propeller propulsors, each propeller propulsor having a rudder located underneath the side hull, to move and maneuver the vessel at relatively high speeds, in a forward portion of the respective side hull, a pump-jet propulsor, the pump-jet propulsor having a nozzle located in the side hull proximate a bottom of the side hull, aspirating water vertically, and expelling the water via the nozzle, the nozzle swiveling through 360° relative to the vessel, enabling maneuvering of the vessel at low speeds, a mechanism for varying the position of the mobile platform relative to the two side hulls, between an upper position, in which the vessel floats solely via the two side hulls on relatively deep water for use of the first and second propeller propulsors, and a lower position in which the vessel floats via the mobile platform and the two side hulls on relatively shallow water for use of the pump-jet propulsor, and first and second engines for driving the first and second propeller propulsors, the jet-pump propulsor, and the mechanism; control means for controlling the mechanism of each motorized propulsion device for varying the position of the mobile platform, relative to the two side hulls, between the upper and lower positions, depending on navigation conditions, wherein the first and second engines are respectively selectively coupleable to the first propeller propulso and the pump-jet propulsor, and the second propeller propulsor and the control means.