Ship & Boat International: eNews February 2020
Ad Hoc Marine Designs (AHMD) has teamed up with Due South Designs Ltd, a venture set up by former South Boats owner Clive Jeffery, to offer a “no-nonsense” range of catamaran crew transfer vessels (CTVs) for the offshore wind farm sector. The forthcoming South Class is modelled on South Boats’ previous South Cats range, which was produced from the late 1990s onwards.
John Kecsmar, founder of AHMD, tells Ship & Boat International: ““Given that most current CTVs have very high freeboards that are prone to violent motions and may well fall foul of the HS-OSC Code – as well as the fact that many are going for 30knots or more, and have crew sleeping areas akin to hotel spaces – we felt the baby had been thrown out with the bath water.” These “bells and whistles” amount to more cost for little real gain, Kecsmar opines, prompting him and Jeffery to push for this comparatively simple design.
The South Class newcomers will be flexible when it comes to length, layout and engine options. Those built to comply with the UK Workboat Code will span 15-24m in length and carry up to 12 turbine technicians, while those designed to HS-OSC Code specs will carry up to 36 technicians aboard vessels sized up to and beyond 24m.
The beam of each South Class boat will range from 8.5-9.2m, depending on the number of technicians carried and the specified deck cargo capacity, while the draught will vary from 1.2-1.5m. Estimated transit speeds are in the region of 20-30knots, depending on payload and configuration.
(Ship & Boat International March/April 2020 will take a more detailed look at the South Class).
