China's Yinghui Southern Shipbuilding recently handed over a new pilot boat to the Qingdao Pilot Station, which serves the Yellow Sea port of Qingdao in Shandong province. Featuring a prominent small waterplane area twin hull (SWATH) design, Ande is also notable for being the first pilot boat to be built in China to utilise such a design.
The vessel has an LOA of 27 metres, a beam of 13.6 metres, a design draught of 2.7 metres, and a speed of 20.35 knots courtesy of a Z-drive propulsion system.
The SWATH design guarantees improved seakeeping, enhanced operational flexibility, a large working deck area, and high-speed transits in significant wave heights of four metres and conditions of up to Sea State Nine, though the vessel is capable of navigating safely even under Sea State 11. Tests revealed that the hull form offered such benefits as reduced occupant fatigue, minimal roll, and low underwater noise and vibrations.
The vessel is also fitted with an all-electric gangway to provide an alternative to traditional boarding ladders, allowing pilots to safely execute transfers to a broad range of vessel types and sizes. An MOB cradle meanwhile gives the pilot boat a secondary emergency rescue capability.
Ande was built in compliance to China Classification Society rules.
| Ande | |
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
| Type of vessel: | Pilot boat |
| Classification: | China Classification Society |
| Port of registry: | Qingdao, China |
| Flag: | China |
| Owner: | Qingdao Pilot Station, China |
| Builder: | Yinghui Southern Shipbuilding, China |
| Length overall: | 27 metres |
| Beam: | 13.6 metres |
| Draught: | 2.7 metres |
| Maximum speed: | 20.35 knots |
| Other deck equipment: | Gangway |
| Safety equipment: | MOB cradle |
| Operational area: | Yellow Sea, China |
