Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Busy Division

Merseyside shipyard Cammell Laird continues to enjoy a busy 2022 with a range of commercial vessels visiting its facilities for extensive programmes of works.

In the same month that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace visited the Birkenhead based shipyard to unveil the new National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, Cammell Laird completed several dry dockings and ship repair projects.

Ro-Ro passenger ship MV Hebrides departed no. 6 drydock on Wednesday, March 21 following an extensive overhaul and repair programme, which included the replacement of its sewage treatment plant, and the replacement of its fast rescue boat davits. The vessel is operated by CalMac and connects the Scottish isles of Skye and Harris.

The Stena Adventurer, a Ro-Pax ship owned by Stena Line, has returned to Cammell Laird for a large package of repair and overhaul works, which included the application of a new paint system. The ferry is one of two vessels, which operates on Stena Line’s Holyhead-Dublin route and makes two crossing per day. The ship has a maximum capacity of 1,500 passengers and 500 cars.

LM Constructor, a working barge, arrived in no. 5 drydock on Friday March 25th for five-year survey works. Built in the Netherlands in 1983, LM Constructor is a general-purpose vessel suitable for a wide range of inshore projects.

The Belgian tug Zeebrugge, is the latest vessel to depart Cammell Laird following a 16-day docking period for repair and overhaul works.

In January, Commissioners of Irish Lights vessel the ILV Granuaile docked at Cammell Laird. The multifunctional vessel, which services offshore buoys and is used for search and rescue missions, underwent general drydocking works for maintenance and repair including painting. (See CIL's Scottish counterpart vessel NLV Pharos at H&W Belfast).

Another tug, Svitzer Milgarth also docked in January for general drydock works including port and starboard aquamaster shaft seal removal, and general inspections.

The third CalMac vessel of the season, MV Clansman arrived in no.6 drydock in January also, for an extensive programme of overhaul and repair works including the removal and replacement of the sewage treatment plant and tail shaft works.

Mike Hill, Managing Director at Cammell Laird said: “It has been fantastic to see all of our ship repair facilities being used during this busy period".

“The recent works we have carried out highlights the demand of Cammell Laird and its highly skilled workforce. We look forward to welcoming our returning and new customers to the facility over the coming months.”

Published in Shipyards

Marine Institute Research Vessel Tom Crean

Ireland’s new marine research vessel will be named the RV Tom Crean after the renowned County Kerry seaman and explorer who undertook three major groundbreaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century which sought to increase scientific knowledge and to explore unreached areas of the world, at that time.

Ireland's new multi-purpose marine research vessel RV Tom Crean, was delivered in July 2022 and will be used by the Marine Institute and other State agencies and universities to undertake fisheries research, oceanographic and environmental research, seabed mapping surveys; as well as maintaining and deploying weather buoys, observational infrastructure and Remotely Operated Vehicles.

The RV Tom Crean will also enable the Marine Institute to continue to lead and support high-quality scientific surveys that contribute to Ireland's position as a leader in marine science. The research vessel is a modern, multipurpose, silent vessel (designed to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research), capable of operating in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Tom Crean is able to go to sea for at least 21 days at a time and is designed to operate in harsh sea conditions.

RV Tom Crean Specification Overview

  • Length Overall: 52.8 m
  • Beam 14m
  • Draft 5.2M 

Power

  • Main Propulsion Motor 2000 kw
  • Bow Thruster 780 kw
  • Tunnel thruster 400 kw

Other

  • Endurance  21 Days
  • Range of 8,000 nautical miles
  • DP1 Dynamic Positioning
  • Capacity for 3 x 20ft Containers

Irish Marine Research activities

The new state-of-the-art multi-purpose marine research vessel will carry out a wide range of marine research activities, including vital fisheries, climate change-related research, seabed mapping and oceanography.

The new 52.8-metre modern research vessel, which will replace the 31-metre RV Celtic Voyager, has been commissioned with funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine approved by the Government of Ireland.

According to Aodhán FitzGerald, Research Vessel Manager of the MI, the RV Tom Crean will feature an articulated boom crane aft (6t@ 10m, 3T@ 15m), located on the aft-gantry. This will be largely used for loading science equipment and net and equipment handling offshore.

Mounted at the stern is a 10T A-frame aft which can articulate through 170 degrees which are for deploying and recovering large science equipment such as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV’s), towed sleds and for fishing operations.

In addition the fitting of an 8 Ton starboard side T Frame for deploying grabs and corers to 4000m which is the same depth applicable to when the vessel is heaving but is compensated by a CTD system consisting of a winch and frame during such operations.

The vessel will have the regulation MOB boat on a dedicated davit and the facility to carry a 6.5m Rigid Inflatable tender on the port side.

Also at the aft deck is where the 'Holland 1' Work class ROV and the University of Limericks 'Etain' sub-Atlantic ROV will be positioned. In addition up to 3 x 20’ (TEU) containers can be carried.

The newbuild has been engineered to endure increasing harsher conditions and the punishing weather systems encountered in the North-East Atlantic where deployments of RV Tom Crean on surveys spent up to 21 days duration.

In addition, RV Tom Crean will be able to operate in an ultra silent-mode, which is crucial to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research purposes.

The classification of the newbuild as been appointed to Lloyds and below is a list of the main capabilities and duties to be tasked by RV Tom Crean:

  • Oceanographic surveys, incl. CTD water sampling
  • Fishery research operations
  • Acoustic research operations
  • Environmental research and sampling operation incl. coring
  • ROV and AUV/ASV Surveys
  • Buoy/Mooring operations