Although Australian shipbuilder Norman R. Wright and Sons has been in business for well over a century, it has not survived for so long by ignoring modern designs, materials, construction methods and equipment.
These very fast, safe, seaworthy and versatile patrol/SAR boats for the Queensland Police are fine examples of the latest in Wright's thinking. Despite their comparatively small size, they are true offshore vessels and have been built to last.
Outboard power seems to be the norm now for work and patrol boats of up to about 14 metres LOA. It's flexibility, "fixability" and ease and economy of maintenance all adds to the utility of these fine craft.
"This was the first build in our now successful 12-metre patrol boat series where we saw the opportunity to bring our 'big boat' experience and quality to a market largely dominated by aluminium RIBs that grew from smaller eight- to 10-metre designs," Tony Riek, Managing Director of Norman R. Wright and Sons (NRW), told Baird Maritime.
"Our goal with this class was to provide greater liveaboard amenity (e.g., full size head/shower, galley, four-person dinette, and extensive storage space), greater patrol functionality (range, crew/passenger numbers, boarding zones), and safety features from our earlier series of pilot boats (extreme structural integrity, safety rails, and clear walkaround side decks).
Riek said that NRW wanted to address the common concern expressed by RIB operators of high maintenance cost associated with on-going aluminium corrosion and tube repair. The solution entailed designing and building in low maintenance advanced composite and using a variant of the company's proven semi-rigid fender originally used for pilot vessels.
"Finally, we wanted improved performance (speeds of 50 knots and above) and handling. Fortunately, through this boat, we all of the above!"
Riek remarked that the main issue with the build was actually at the design stage.
"NRW had limited experience in outboard-powered commercial vessels and, although the support from Yamaha was excellent, we were surprised by the lack of technical data that was available from the outboard industry compared with diesel inboard industry (e.g., power curves)."
Riek said there was a lot of validation work and cross checking to do before NRW settled on the final hull design and outboard setup, which was ultimately able to exceed expectations. Another result is that the company learned many lessons on outboard vessel design in a rather short period of time.
For Riek and NRW, maritime security operators will be looking to get more functionality and value from any future assets.
"Our landing craft delivery Island Guardian exemplifies that view in that it can perform many roles – even on the same voyage," he told Baird Maritime. "One moment it can be conducting compliance work, the next it can be undertaking maintenance work on reef facilities or conducting research work.
"The same can be said for the operators of 12-metre patrol boats. Our new class of patrol vessels are partly a response to customer requests for greater amenity, longer and more remote patrols, and more overnighting for this class such that utilisation can be increased and in some cases take the place of the customer's much larger vessels with greater crew complements."
Riek said the trend with the largest impact on shipbuilding, particularly in Australia, is that of a lack of skilled workers in the industry.
"In the current buoyant market, lack of skilled labour means many build opportunities cannot be undertaken cost effectively and are going offshore or just not progressing. Attracting jobseekers to take up apprenticeship roles in the industry is paramount, however, the competition is fierce, and we need to make this industry, which too often carries a stigma of challenging working conditions, more attractive.
In response, NRW is implementing proprietary composite construction processes that have many of the company's structures produced off-site in industrially controlled facilities. Riek said that, in less than a few years, the company has drastically reduced its worker exposure to chemicals and airborne dust as a first step of a broader initiative to make working conditions even safer.