Feature 1 | PATROL & RESCUE BOATS
Stateside contracts Meanwhile, in the US, shipbuilding is set to benefit from a programme by the US Coast Guard (USCG) to replace as many as 25 medium-endurance cutters, with the initial contract likely to entail up to 11 vessels. Te next-generation breed is dubbed
the offshore patrol cutter(OPC) and will replace existing vessels of 64m and 82.3m loa. Several US builders are in the frame for the opening deal, which will encompass provision of the design as well as construction and outfitting. Te first contract award is expected by late 2014 or early 2015, with a view to deliveries starting in 2017. One of the bidders, Vigor Industrial,
was quick to release details of the design basis for its bid. Te group, which provides shipbuilding, repair and metal fabrication services in the Pacific North West and Alaska, has opted for the Ulstein X-Bow hull form. In addition to endurance in the order of 8,500/9,500nm, key USCG stipulations for the required series of vessels include excellent seakeeping properties, competitive cost, and proven hull forms and technology, the latter perceived as presenting lower risk. Te good performance and track record demonstrated by the patented X-Bow in about 40 different types of offshore vessels to date is reckoned to meet USCG criteria, while the extent of market uptake of the design also points to the affordability of an innovative solution. In the meantime, production of the USCG’s new generation of 47m loa fast
response cutters(FRCs) is proceeding apace on the Gulf coast. The fifth of 12 vessels firmly booked to date from Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, Louisiana, was completed in March this year. Known as the Sentinel class, the FRC uses a proven, parent craſt design based on the Damen Stan Patrol 4708 type, and has a maximum speed of 28knots+, with a range of 2,950nm. Bollinger’s contract contains options on up to 34 cutters, and the USCG plans a total FRC fleet of 58.
Albanian order Damen’s Stan Patrol family also figures in the modernisation of the fleet controlled by the Albanian Coast Guard. Following the delivery, from the Netherlands, in 2008 of the Damen-built Illyria, construction of three further Stan Patrol 4207-type vessels was assigned to the Vlore yard at Albania’s Pasha Liman Naval Base. Te second in the series, and the first from Albania, was handed over in mid-2012. The project has included the rebuilding of the Vlore Naval Shipyard and establishment of a new assembly hall for vessels up to 60m in length, and extensive knowledge transfer by Damen. The lead ship in a programme of 20
fast patrol vessels(FPVs) ordered three years ago from Cochin Shipyard for the Indian Coast Guard was launched during January 2013. With main dimensions of 50m x 7.6m x 4.7m, the design features a potent power plant comprising three MTU 16V4000 diesels, each producing 3,648kW, and driving Rolls-Royce Kamewa waterjets for a speed of 33knots.
The 52m Swedish Coast Guard vessel KBV 033, delivered in March this year, provided some temporary respite for struggling German yard P+S Werften
Te primary duties of the sophisticated
new class will include fisheries protection and monitoring, patrols within India’s EEZ and coastal and island waters, anti-smuggling, SAR and anti-piracy operations. Te vessels will have a secondary role
of providing communications links and escorting convoys in the event of hostilities. Cochin Shipyard has developed its aluminium welding techniques in keeping with the extensive use of the material in the vessels’ superstructure. Te 20th FPV in the contract is slated for commissioning during 2017.
Offshore transits Tampa Yacht Manufacturing in Florida has added a 15.2m(50ft) patrol and interdiction vessel to its portfolio, for which an opening contract specifying four craft has been secured from an international customer whose identity has not been revealed. Te Tempest 50 fast attack craſt (FAC)
type has been developed to provide patrol and surveillance in shallow coastal and riverine waters by day and night, with the requisite shallow draught, high manoeuvrability and speed, as well as being suited to deployments beyond visual range from the coast. Interception and boarding of high-speed craft, search and rescue, special force and anti-terrorist operations are within the craſt’s broad remit. Employing a deep-vee monohull
form for coastal and near-shore duties in varying sea and weather conditions, the craſt is also designed for high speed, offshore transits, with a 16deg transom deadrise and 25deg midship deadrise. Te hull features spray and liſting strakes to improve seakeeping, directional stability and planing performance. Using twin inboard engines driving waterjets, the boat’s maximum speed is about 40knots, with a minimum sustained cruising speed of 35knots. Minimum range at wide open throttle is 400nm, with a cruising range of 500nm. Te spread and diversity of investment
in the patrol boat sector as a whole is a strongpoint of the small-ship market, and the outlook is positive, fuelling new design initiatives and enhancements. SBI
32 Ship & Boat International May/June 2013
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