Ship & Boat International: eNews May/June 2017
Another collaboration between Scotland’s Macduff Ship Design and Turkish builder Tor Marine has resulted in two new pilot vessels making their way to the Arabian Gulf in Q2. The vessels, Marcap Tam 1 and Marcap Tam 2, will be owned and operated by Saudi Marcap, which oversees a fleet of tugs / AHTS vessels, multipurpose vessels, crew boats and barges.
Each of the newbuilds features a length overall of 26.7m, a breadth of 7m and a depth of 3.34m, and has been designed to accommodate eight crew and four pilots. To ensure the boats were fully equipped to thrive in their operational environment, Macduff Ship Design undertook an extensive round of model testing at the University of Southampton’s Wolfson Unit for Marine Technology and Industrial Aerodynamics, UK. Macduff Ship Design explains: “In order to optimise the hull form, a 1:15 scale model was built out of wood and GRP…both resistance and sea-keeping tests were carried out in order to ensure the smoothest performance and optimum handling in a variety of sea conditions in the Arabian Gulf.” The vessels’ spray rails were also modified for optimum sea-keeping.
Each pilot boat is equipped with a pair of Yanmar 12 AYM-WGT engines, each rated 1,340kW at 1,940rpm. The boats have exceeded Saudi Marcap’s specification for a top speed of 14.5knots at 80% MCR; in sea trials, conducted shortly before handover, Marcap Tam 1 and Marcap Tam 2 achieved speeds of 16.2knots and 16knots respectively at 80% MCR. Meanwhile, flat-out performance at 100% MCR saw both vessels reach 18.1knots.
Onboard capacities include 25,000litres of fuel oil and 11,524litres of fresh water per vessel, and both boats have been classed to Bureau Veritas +Mach, Special Service/Pilot Boat with Unrestricted Navigation notation.
