Feature 5 | SPAIN
New wind farm crew transfer vessel extends time at sea
A new 20m catamaran from Spain’s Mercurio Plastics Shipyard and the UK’s Tidal Transit Limited went on display at Seawork 2011. Te vessel is designed to reduce the operational limitations of tide and weather in the North Sea waters off the UK coastline, writes Nicola Stuart.
T he design of the catamaran,
specifically aimed at the North Sea wind energy market, is a result
of a partnership between Adam Wright, operational director at Tidal Transit Limited, and Cartagena, Spain-based Mercurio Plastics Shipyard. Te primary role for the vessel (the first in an initial order for two catamarans) will be as a crew transfer vessel. Tidal Transit director, Leo Hambro, says
Mercurio was an obvious choice for the partnership as UK GRP boatbuilders have not built 20m boats before, while Mercurio builds up to 33m. Hambro adds: “Tey have had much greater experience at building larger vessels out of GRP. We were also very impressed by the capabilities of the team at Mercurio and the fleet of vessels that they have previously built.” Tidal Transit was keen to opt for a GRP construction in order to take advantage of the weight savings. The operations of many existing crew
transfer vessels are restricted by the short tides of the North Sea and weather conditions and Wright notes that many crew transfer vessels seen off the UK’s coastline tend to spend more time than they should in the harbours. Therefore
TECHNICAL PARTICULARS 20m catamaran
Length, oa ..............................................20m Beam .........................................................8m Draught ..................................................1.4m Speed, fully loaded ......................... 25knots Cargo decks ............. 38.7m2
fore, 22m2 aft
Capacities Fuel ............................................10,000litres Fresh water ..................................6000litres Deck load .............................10,000tonnes
Accommodation ...4 crew, 12 passengers MCA ...........Workboat Category 1, 150nm
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Tidal Transfer’s new catamaran is the first in a 10-boat order.
weare building boats that can accommodate [passengers and crew] in comfortable berths in a hull designed for stability in the short-frequency waves of the North Sea, he says. MCA Category 1 means that the vessel can go 150nm from safe haven, and accommodation will enable it to remain at sea overnight. Te hull design was originally built for
use in the Mediterranean, but is perfect for the similar conditions of the North Sea. Te design of the bow for Tidal Transit’s new catamaran was conceived through Mercurio’s experience and towing tank testing at CEHIPAR (hydrodynamic centre for model tests, projects and research) in Madrid with similar catamarans.
Deflected slamming In order to counter the affect of the short-frequency waves of the North Sea and produce a more stable ride, Juan Moreno Portillo, Mercurio Plastics director, explains that the central nacelle has been made more slender and ready to deflect the high bow wave impact, or slamming, on the wetdeck between both lateral hulls’ bows to the windows opened on both hulls. Impact pressures are reduced drastically because
most of the massive wave is conducted to two wide exit ways. “Tis is necessary for avoiding damage
on the structure of the vessel and strong accelerations on deck cargo, when sailing ahead heavy weather,” says Moreno. Moreno goes on to say: “Te slender stem
of each lateral bow is complemented with a knife style bulbous bow, having a chine for improving liſt on the fore body of the vessel, together with the main chine of the hull liſting the complete vessel to achieve high-speed performance. Te bulbous bows act as dampers for the
pitching motion of the catamaran, together with the pitch-damping capability of the central bow at high angles of pitching. Te bulbous bows also create good stability when the vessel is stationary, perfect for offloading engineers on to the turbine platforms. While a traditional transfer system is in place, deck provision is included for the latest crew transfer systems. The catamaran has the capacity
to carry up to 10tonnes of parts, 10,000litres of fuel, and 6000litres of fresh water with 12 passengers onboard, while achieving speeds of more than 25knots, and can operate in seas of up
Ship & Boat International July/August 2011
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