Damen Shipyards Group has unveiled a new workboat for the aquaculture industry. The DAMEN Utility Vessel (UV) 2613 draws upon the heritage of proven vessels from the shipyard’s portfolio, such as the Multi Cat and Shoalbuster, to deliver extreme versatility to the fish-farming sector, the company said in its release.
The vessel’s scope of work covers everything from harvesting to net cleaning and diving support to de-licing. DAMEN has developed the UV 2613 based on feedback from the market. It is a forward-facing vessel, with sustainable characteristics. It is, for example, prepared for IMO Tier III. The vessel comes ready for the installation of a DAMEN NO X Reduction System – selective catalytic conversion technology that can be easily installed during construction or as a retrofit, making the vessel Tier III compliant. The vessel can also be fitted with battery packs for silent shift operations.
This is an extremely user-friendly vessel, with lots of plug and play options available so that it can switch quickly from one duty to another. The UV 2613 can be installed with DP1, a multiple mooring system and a towing winch for example. It can even be fitted with a ramp in order to perform ferry duties if required.
An extensive cargo hold of 85m 2 facilitates harvesting as well as dry cargo transportation and storage of diving equipment. The vessel’s deck is over 110m 2. The vessel can be fitted with multiple cranes with capacity up to 220 t/m. The vessel’s azimuth thrusters, together with a bow thruster, ensure optimal manoeuvrability.
Damen has paid close attention to safety in the design. The vessel features a high bow height and freeboard of 1 m minimum to avoid deck immersion and safe sailing, even in heavy seas. Additionally, with a beam of 12.8 metres, the vessel is extremely stable, with no need for an anti-heeling system. While the UV 2613 is 26 metres in length overall, its load line length is just 24 metres and the vessel is also below 200 GT (MCA).
Damen Sales Manager Mike Besijn said, “We are very confident in the relevance of the UV 2613 for the growing aquaculture industry. Based on feedback we received from the market we have designed a versatile vessel, able to tackle a very wide range of duties, with a robust application of features ensuring the safety and sustainability of operations. We have already carried out the feasibility studies and completed the detailed engineering of the design – we’re ready to build this.”
Damen Shipyards Group operates 36 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 13,000 people worldwide. DAMEN has delivered more than 6,500 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers around 175 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept DAMEN is able to guarantee consistent quality. Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. DAMEN offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts. For nearly all vessel types DAMEN offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. DAMEN also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, winches, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.