Jets Add Zip To Sea Shipments

Manufacturers who want to get their goods across the Atlantic Ocean now have two choices: airplane, which is fast but expensive, or cargo ship, slower but a lot cheaper.

A Virginia company and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing a cross between a plane and a ship - the FastShip.

Powered by jet engines like those found on a Boeing 747, FastShip is designed to cut the crossing time in half, in even the roughest weather. The yet-to-built ship would have a sleek hull that rides atop the waves at 50 mph.

FastShip Atlantic of Alexandria, Va., hopes to begin building four, 863-foot vessels next year for service in 1998.