Standby/Emergency Vessels

VESSEL REVIEW | Cromarty Sentinel – Chinese-built standby vessel for Scotland’s Sentinel Marine

Baird Maritime

Scottish vessel operator Sentinel Marine has taken delivery of a new emergency response and rescue vessel (ERRV) built by Fujian South East Shipyard in China. Named Cromarty Sentinel, the ABS-classed newbuild will be operated out of Aberdeen in serving customers in the UK North Sea.

The ERRV has an LOA of 60 metres, a beam of 15.8 metres, a maximum draught of 5.2 metres, and a summer deadweight of 1,723 tonnes. The open aft deck has an area of 300 square metres and can accommodate cargo totalling 500 tonnes.

Power is provided by a pair of Niigata 6L26HLX engines that drive azimuthing propellers. This configuration delivers a maximum speed of 14 knots and a service speed of 10 knots. A 521kW tunnel thruster at the bow provides additional manoeuvring power for use in close quarters.

The vessel has a Kongsberg Maritime joystick-controlled DP2 system and equipment that will allow it to perform the secondary function of oil spill recovery. Up to 377.5 cubic metres of recovered oil can be stored in an onboard dedicated tank.

Photo: MarineTraffic.com/Piet Sinke

The ERRV is adequately equipped for the rescue role with a Palfinger Marine 15-person fast boat, two rescue zones, and a six-person basket. The firefighting equipment meanwhile consists of a fixed water spray system and two foam/water monitors with a 120-metre throw distance and a discharge rate of 1,200 cubic metres per hour. For anti-pollution duties, the vessel relies on a five-cubic-metre chemical dispersant tank, spray nozzles, and a displacement pump with a flowrate of 133 litres per minute.

A second Palfinger Marine 15-person boat will operate primarily as a daughter craft. Like the fast rescue boat, it will be launched into and recovered from the water with the aid of a dedicated davit with constant tension and shock-absorbing capability.

Accommodations are available for 34 crew and other personnel, though up to 92 rescued survivors can be housed on board. The survivor areas are built to UK, Danish, and Dutch guidelines and include a fully fitted treatment room, a hypothermia bath, two recovery areas, and designated sanitary areas.

The crew accommodation spaces meanwhile four single cabins, seven double cabins, and four quadruple cabins. All crew cabins have en suite toilets as well as satellite TV and internet connectivity.

The onboard systems, which also include an ECDIS surface situation reporting system, draw power from two Caterpillar C18 350kW generators and a 99kW emergency generator.

Design work on Cromarty Sentinel was provided by Singapore-based naval architects Khiam Chuan Marine.

Photo: MarineTraffic.com/Piet Sinke
Cromarty Sentinel
SPECIFICATIONS
Type of vessel:Emergency response and rescue vessel
Classification:ABS A1(E), Offshore Support vessel (Supply, FFV1, OSR-C2), Safety Standby, +AMS, +DPS-2, SPS, RW, Green Passport, UWILD, IHM
Flag:UK
Owner:Sentinel Marine, UK
Designer:Khiam Chuan Marine, Singapore
Builder:Fujian South East Shipyard, China
Length overall:60 metres
Beam:15.8 metres
Draught:5.2 metres
Deadweight tonnage:1,723
Gross tonnage:2,030
Capacity:500 tonnes
Main engines:2 x Niigata 6L26HLX
Propulsion:2 x propellers
Generators:2 x Caterpillar C18, each 350 kW; 99 kW
Side thruster:521 kW
Maximum speed:14 knots
Cruising speed:10 knots
Dynamic positioning:Kongsberg Maritime
Other electronics:ECDIS
Winches:2
Capstans:2
Cranes:2
Other equipment installed:Davits; rescue towing bollard; dispersant spray nozzles
Firefighting equipment:2 x monitors; fixed water spray system
Rescue boat:Palfinger Marine
Tender:Palfinger Marine
Fuel capacity:580 cubic metres
Fuel consumption:6.8 tonnes a day at 10 knots
Freshwater capacity:370 cubic metres
Accommodation:4 x single cabins; 7 x double cabins; 4 x quadruple cabins; toilets; treatment room; hypothermia bath; 2 x recovery areas; sanitary areas
Crew:34
Passengers:92
Operational area:UK North Sea