A new fish farm workboat ordered by Bakkafrost Scotland recently began undergoing sea trials. Built by Macduff Shipyards to a design by Macduff Ship Design, Rìgh Na Mara is a sister vessel of Turas a 'Bhradain, which was delivered to the same owner in 2023.
The bespoke landing craft will support Bakkafrost's salmon harvesting activities on the West Coast of Scotland and the Hebrides. Specifically, the vessel was designed as a multi-role workboat with a large open working deck with offset port casing for improved starboard side access and a large forward ramp. The layout will allow the vessel to complete a wide range of tasks from general cargo duties to specific aquaculture services.
The landing craft has durable all-steel construction with a hard-chine hull form, a length of 24 metres, a beam of nine metres, a maximum draught of 2.25 metres, a depth of 3.1 metres, and two Doosan 4L126CAKH main engines that each produce 373 kW at 2,000 rpm. The engines are IMO Tier III-compliant and drive Teignbridge nozzle-housed 1,500mm propellers via D-I DMTP6500 gearboxes with throttle control provided by a Flexball system.
For fish pen maintenance work and cargo transport duties, the vessel relies on two HS.Marine knuckle boom cranes mounted fore and aft on the spacious main deck. The wheelhouse is offset to port to provide ample room for operating the cranes, which are placed on starboard. The deck itself can accommodate three 20-foot containers or up to 125 tonnes of assorted cargo.