VESSEL REVIEW | AQS Tor – Heavy duty fish farm support boat enters service with Norway’s AQS

Norwegian aquaculture workboat operator AQS has acquired a new fish farm support vessel built by Moen Marin at its facilities in Norway and Croatia.

Designed by Marin Design, the all-steel AQS Tor has an LOA of 23.98 metres, a beam of 11.2 metres, and a moulded depth of 4.2 metres. It is the third monohull workboat in a series to be built by Moen Marin for AQS for use in various support activities at the owner's fish farms that are situated just off the coast of Norway.

AQS Tor and its 2016-built near identical sister vessels AQS Namdal and AQS Troll are intended to function as middle-level fish farm support workboats in the AQS fleet. On one hand, these three vessels are capable of operating in areas that are too restrictive for AQS' two 37-metre supply vessels. The three sisters also possess greater cargo capacity and improved multi-role capability compared to the company's 15-metre high-speed catamarans.

AQS Tor is equipped with two Palfinger Marine cranes of 150 tonnes and 90 tonnes capacity, 60-tonne and 15-tonne double work/towing winches, and a shark jaw/tow stick module. A large aft working deck boasts 137 square metres of open space that can accommodate up to 125 tonnes of assorted cargo.

The newbuild is also equipped to operate as a mothership for remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) as well as a dive support vessel. There is an onboard ROV hangar, storage areas for diving gear, and a dedicated ROV and diving console in the wheelhouse. The wheelhouse itself features ergonomic design elements as well as a high degree of automation to enable only one crewmember to operate the vessel via a split control station.

The Caterpillar C32 main engine produces 746 kW at 1,600 rpm to drive a nozzle-housed, four-bladed propeller. This enables AQS Tor to reach a service speed of 9.5 knots and a free running speed of 11 knots. A pair of 186kW bow thrusters guarantee more precise manoeuvring during berthing/unberthing and ensure adequate station keeping when the vessel is alongside the offshore fish farms that it is tasked with supporting.

The vessel's navigation and communications suite consists of a radar, an echosounder, a VHF radio, and a navigational watch system supplied by Furuno, an Olex chart plotter, a Telchart dual ECDIS, and an internal communications setup from Phototeck. Aiding the crew in operating the vessel are cameras situated on the working deck, in the engine room, and even underwater to allow real-time monitoring of the condition of the propeller. Caterpillar C18 and C7.1 diesel generators supply power for the onboard systems.

The onboard accommodations were designed to ensure improved comfort. This is especially true for the single cabins that will house the vessel's standard crew of six. A mess with galley has been incorporated as well.

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