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Displaying items by tag: 'F'class newbuilds

18th September 2010

Arklow's Autumn Arrivals

Arklow Shipping Ltd (ASL) await the delivery of the 2,998 gross tonnes newbuild, Arklow Fern, this month from Spanish shipbuilders Astilleros de Murueta SA, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Astilleros has built all previous 'F' class newbuilds with Arklow Fern forming as the eighth vessel for the Co. Wicklow based shipping company. At 89m the newbuild has a single-box hold with two portable bulkheads that can be placed into 10 positions for cargo separation. The power plant is a MAN 6L27/38 2040kW gearbox and through to a controllable pitch propeller,delivering about 11.5 knots.

In addition ASL are to introduce during the Autumn the newbuild Arklow Meadow after a delivery voyage from the Far East. At 14,000 tonnes, Arklow Meadow represents the fourth in a series of six 'M' class newbuilds ordered from the Mokpo Shipyard Corporation in South Korea.

The 'M'-class newbuilds have four-holds with a total grain capacity of 18,110 cubic square-metres.The main engine plant is a MaK 6M 43C which
has a 5,400KW capacity through a Jake reduction gear-box fitted to a Rolls Royce controllable pitch propeller producing around 14 knots.

With the entry of these two newbuilds, the fleet rises to 41 vessels. The fleet are divided into two management companies, one based at the shipping operators headquarters in Arklow and the other is controlled through a Dutch subsidiary, Arklow Shipping Netherlands (ASN) B.V. based in Rotterdam.

Published in Ports & Shipping

About Quarter Tonners

The Quarter Ton Class is a sailing class of the International Offshore Rule racing the Quarter Ton Cup between 1967 and 1996 and from 2005 until today.

The class is sailed by smaller keelboats of similar size and is likely the world's most-produced keelboat class.

The Ton, Half, Quarter, etc. 'classes' were each given a 'length' and yacht designers had almost free rein to work the hull shapes and measurements to achieve the best speed for that nominal length.

The Ton Rules produced cranky and tender boats without actual downwind speed. Measurement points created weird, almost square hull shapes with longish overhangs.

They were challenging to sail optimally and lost value very quickly as any new wrinkle (e.g. 'bustles') to take advantage of the rule made older boats very quickly uncompetitive.

Although its heyday was 30 years ago, the boat class continues to make its presence felt by holding its own in terms of popularity against some fern race fleets.