VESSEL REVIEW | Esther Afua Ocloo – Spill cleanup vessel delivered to Ghana Maritime Authority

The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) recently welcomed a new oil spill response vessel into service.

The aluminium monohull vessel has been named Esther Afua Ocloo in honour of the late Ghanaian businesswoman and banking advocate. The GMA said it acquired the vessel in anticipation of a rise in demand for oil spill response services following the rapid expansion of port and offshore activities in the country.

The vessel has an LOA of 40 metres, a moulded beam of 7.6 metres, a loaded draught of only 1.89 metres, a moulded depth of 3.65 metres, and a gross tonnage of 272. The Bureau Veritas-classed design was originally developed as a fast multirole crewboat that will support offshore activities.

There is onboard space for oil spill response equipment including a Desmi DBD 16 combination disc/brush drum skimmer, a Harbo Technologies containment boom, and a spray dispersant system capable of handling Tier one and two spills in both harbour and offshore waters. It can also accommodate two unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance and detection of spills over large areas.

Three Cummins KTA36-M2 engines propel the vessel to a maximum speed of 28 knots and a cruising speed of 26 knots while three Caterpillar 86ekW generators supply power for the various onboard systems.