VESSEL REVIEW | Hai Xun 156 – Icebreaking buoy tender enters service with China Maritime Safety Administration

A new large buoy tender vessel has begun operational sailings with the China Maritime Safety Administration (CMSA).

Built locally by China State Shipbuilding Corporation affiliate the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group, Hai Xun 156 has a length of 74.9 metres, a beam of 14.3 metres, a displacement of 2,400 tonnes, and icebreaking capability that will enable it to fulfill the vital role of maintaining buoys and other aids to navigation in the waters in and around the northern port city of Tianjin even during winter.

The builder claims the vessel is the first icebreaking buoy tender vessel to be constructed in China. It will focus its operations on the Bohai Sea and the northern Yellow Sea, which have become known for a series of maritime accidents partly due to lack of suitable aids to navigation.

Hai Xun 156 is fitted with intelligent systems in compliance with the requirements of China Classification Society's (CCS) intelligent engine room and intelligent energy efficiency guidelines. One monitoring system provides the operators with advance warning if any of the key onboard equipment is at risk of imminent breakdown. Another system aids in navigation by helping the crew identify optimal sailing routes to minimise fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions.

The vessel's main propulsion consists of a pair of diesel-driven Schottel SRE 460 1,800kW azimuthing thrusters each featuring a four-bladed propeller with a diameter of 2.4 metres. To enhance manoeuvrability and provide DP capabilities, the vessel is equipped with a Schottel STT 1,500kW side thruster. The azimuth thrusters enable the vessel to reach a free sailing speed of 14.5 knots.

Hai Xun 156's azimuth thrusters are ice-strengthened according to CCS ice class 2, which corresponds to Finnish-Swedish ice class 1B. This enables the vessel to break through ice as thick as 0.6 metres when sailing at 3.5 knots, guaranteeing the CMSA's emergency response capability in northern Chinese waters even under extreme weather conditions.

The vessel will commence operational sailings out of the CMSA's National Security Centre at the Port of Tianjin before the end of September 2022.

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