Singapore's ST Engineering and Dunsborough, Australia-based naval architecture firm Nauti-Craft recently unveiled a new design of catamaran crewboat optimised for windfarm support duties.
ST Engineering claims the aluminium suspension-enabled design will enable the vessel to conduct crew transfers even in conditions of greater wave heights. This allows a smaller crewboat to operate through a wider weather window compared to a traditional larger vessel, translating to a much lower operational cost and smaller carbon footprint whilst remaining compliant to the windfarm requirements in Europe, Asia, and the US.
The patented suspension technology by Nauti-Craft is a hydraulic suspension system for multi-hull vessels.
The system separates the hulls from the superstructure which allows the hulls to react independently to wave inputs without transmitting its high forces and accelerations into the deck and superstructure. This will ensure greater comfort, control, and stability, whether the vessel is stationary or sailing at speed.
Each crewboat in this new series will have a length of 20 metres and twin waterjets. The propulsion would consist of either traditional diesel engines or a hybrid diesel-electric system.
Keeping with geographical windfarm regulations, the vessels can be configured to transport either 12 or 24 people.
