Tor Boreas is a cutting edge utility service vessel with an ability to support multiple industries but with specific ability to conduct a large range of tasks within the offshore wind sector.  The vessel is designed below 24m registered length to allow it to operate under UK MCA workboat code edition III regulations but has also been built to Bureau Veritas regulations and approval to allow for international operation.

The vessel has many innovative features which combined into a vessel of this size offers a ground breaking vessel.  Tor Boreas is driven by a diesel electric power train to ensure optimal efficiency and this combined with the tier III engine exhaust system gives reduced emissions during operation compared to a conventional diesel driven vessel.  3 MAN D2676 main generators each rated at 340 ekw, 400 V, 50 Hz supply electricity to the main control systems.  The electric drive motors are connected to twin Schottel SRP 210 FP azimuth drives which when combined with the Veth VT-90 bow thruster gives high levels of manuverability with full Dynamic Positioning capability.  As an addition to this the vessel also has a 4 point mooring anchoring arrangement onboard to allow for longer term station keeping.

In conjunction with the station keeping abilities the vessel is also fitted with a Gyro Stabilisation system supplied by Veem.  This system significantly reduces vessel motions for both crew comfort and allows service operations to be conducted in higher sea states than would normally be possible.

The vessel is arranged with numerous items of deck equipment to allow for multiple different operations.  These include a Melcal, 5 T hydraulic ‘A’ Frame at the stern, a Melcal, KT 120T3 offshore crane is arranged to starboard aft to cover the entire working deck and to work over the starboard side with an optional boulder grappling attachment.  Midships on the main deck is a 25 T electric towing winch which can be used for towage or work over the stern, utilising the 500 mmm diameter 30 T stern roller.

To give additional flexibility to underwater operations a 1500mm x 1500mm moon pool is arranged which can work with either the ‘A’ Frame or the crane.  The main deck also has 75 square metres of usable deck space and an ability to carry up to 60 Tonnes of deck cargo or 3 x 20 foot containers, and is arranged with modular installation for dive and survey support units.

Below deck the vessel is split into 6 compartments to allow it to meet single compartment flooding requirements.  These consist of, Fore peak, Crew accommodation space with 2 x twin cabins with ensuite facilities, Passenger accommodation space with 6 x twin cabins with ensuite facilities,  Generator room with the 3 main generators, gyrostabilisation unit and sewage plant, Switchboard room, Propulsion room.

Forward of the working deck at main deck level are crew and passenger day facilities with dry locker and changing room, workshops, laundry, provisions locker, galley, mess area, lounge and TV lounge.

On Forecastle deck a full width casing contains, HVAC room, Harbour set / emergency generator space, Electronics room, divers control room, embarkation lobby and 2 x single officers cains with ensuite facilities.  Forward of this area is the open fore deck with the forward mooring winches.  Aft of the casing a 4m RHIB is arranged for rescue operations launched utilising the main crane.

The wheelhouse is arranged with al round visibility including full height windows aft to provide excellent visibility of the aft working deck.  The wheelhouse has a main forward command position and an auxiliary station aft.  There is also a communal area to port with small pantry area.

With the ability to carry 70m³ of fuel and over 35m³ of freshwater, combined with the onboard sewage treatment system the vessel has the ability to stay at sea for an extended period.

We are thrilled to have been part of this project which showcases the abilities of both Tor Group as builders and Macduff ship Design as designers to develop and build such an innovative and complex vessel within a relatively compact length.

The vessel is currently on transit and will be available for inspection once it reaches the UK and is available for bareboat charter or sale.  Please contact [email protected] for any queries.

Upon initial discussion of the new build, the decision was taken to develop a new hull form, with the aim of providing good sea keeping qualities, high propulsion efficiency, as well as improved living conditions for the crew onboard.

To achieve these objectives, Macduff Shipyards in conjunction with Macduff Ship Design, set out to develop the new hull form, which would have a waterline length of 25 metres, a registered length of just below 24 metres, and a breadth of 7.5 metres. The hull was compared against previous designs by the Wolfson Unit in Southampton, who utilised Computational Fluid Dynamic technology to assess the hull resistance at a range of different speeds, as well as visualise where the major resistance was occurring. With this information, progressive design alterations were made, to further reduce the resistance, and improve the wake that the propeller operates in. The initial results from sea trials were very encouraging, with a good speed to power witnessed, and the vessel punching effectively into head seas, with little effect on speed.

As well as the hull form, the general arrangement of the vessel was carefully considered and set out to increase crew comfort, with a focus on reducing noise levels in the living spaces within. Given the generous length of the hull, and the yards experience with noise assessments onboard vessels, it was decided to arrange the vessel with the crew cabins fitted amidships, between the engine room aft and the fish hold forward. By placing the cabins amidships, they were moved away from the propeller which is one of the primary noise sources onboard. As well as this, the galley and mess area were situated athwartships, above the cabins below, with no part adjacent to the engine room. Another effort to reduce noise was to route the engine exhaust pipes up the trawl gallows, instead of near the wheelhouse where they would traditionally be. During sea trials, the noise levels were measured and a noticeable reduction in dB was witnessed, with an absence of any propeller noise or vibration in living compartments.

The GRACIOUS was built indoors from start to completion, in the shipyards dedicated building hall at its Macduff yard. The vessel features a steel hull, and aluminium wheelhouse and mast, which were all cut by Macduff Profilers using CNC plasma and gas cutting machines. The steel kit was supplied by Macduff Ship Design.

In terms of main machinery, the GRACIOUS features a Caterpillar C32 main engine, rated 559 kW @ 1800 rpm. This is coupled to a Masson Marine W7400 gearbox, with a large reduction ratio of 9.077:1, which drives the 2.5 m diameter propeller, fitted within a high thrust nozzle. GRACIOUS is the eleventh new build fishing vessel delivered with this propulsion package by the yard, which has been well proven to be reliable and robust. The main engine is the first Tier III certified C32 fitted in the UK, on any vessel, with the SCR and ancillary equipment for UREA dosing and NOx monitoring supplied by FINNING CATERPILLAR. A stainless-steel urea tank is situated in the engine room, with capacity of near 2,000 litres.

Cooling for all engines, as well as the hydraulic system, was provided by using closed loop fresh-water systems with Blokland Non-Ferro supplying the box coolers. The GRACIOUS features a new design of rudder blade, developed by the yard, with CFD analysis conducted by the Wolfson Unit in Southampton. The rudder features two blades of aerofoil profile, driven by a Scan Steering MT 1000 steering gear unit. The system features no linkages and is simple to fabricate and maintain.

Main hydraulic power onboard is provided by a Hyundai 4AD086 auxiliary engine, with power output off 199 kW @ 1500 rpm, which drives two Kawasaki swash plate hydraulic pumps. In addition to this, two 45 kW electric motors are fitted, each driving an independent hydraulic pump, which can be utilised as a net retrieve system, or for using hydraulic equipment in the harbour with only one generator set running. The hydraulic system is a load sensing type system, with electric control valves and remote joysticks fitted at the machinery. This system delivers power only when requested, with the system running idle when not in use, saving fuel and reducing noise throughout the vessel.

The deck machinery package was supplied by the yard, with a triple barrel trawl winch fitted with Hagglunds compact CA210 motor, as well as two split net drums each with two Hagglunds compact CA70 motos. Thistle Marine of Peterhead supplied the MFB8 landing crane, along with a BK13 powerblock crane, both with slew ring base. A dynamic S45 gilson winch is fitted for lifting the catch onboard, and a small Rotzler hoisting winch is fitted to assist unloading the catch at the end of the trip.

Electrical power onboard is provided by two Mitsubishi generator sets, each 98 ekW in power output and capable of running the ships power in addition to one of the 45 kW hydraulic motor pump sets. If two pump sets are required, the second generator can be started to run it.

The electrical system onboard was designed and manufactured by R D Downie, who supplied the switchboards, frequency drives for motors, starter panels for the machinery, fire/bilge/gas alarm panels, and battery systems.

The fish processing system was designed by the yard, with the catch handling system built by Northeast Fabricators, all from marine grade stainless steel.

The fish hold refrigeration system was designed and installed by Premier Refrigeration, who also supplied and installed the Geneglace 2.5 t ice maker. The equipment was all housed in a dedicated room situated between the sorting area and the winch room forward. The fish hold was finished off with gel coated fibreglass panels and insulated to a high level to save energy and retain cold. A dedicated, fixed, fish hold access ladder was integrated into the walls of the fish hold, to improve crew safety.

The vessel was painted to a high standard, using quality paint provided by International Paints.

LIST OF MAJOR SUPPLIERS

Builder – Macduff Shipyards

Designer – Macduff Ship Design / Macduff Shipyards

Main engine – Caterpillar C32 supplied by Finning Power Systems, UK

Propeller and Nozzle – Kort Propulsion, UK

Gearbox – Masson Marine, France

Construction drawings and stability information – Macduff Ship Design

Hyundai auxiliary engine – Watermota, UK

Mitsubishi generator sets – Macduff Diesels Ltd, UK

Box cooling systems for each engine and the hydraulic circuit – Blokland Non Ferro, Netherlands

Pumps – Azcue Pumps SA, Spain

Deck machinery equipment – Macduff Shipyards

Deck cranes – Thistle Marine, UK

Fire doors – B-15 Marine Ltd, UK

Weathertight doors – Winel, Netherlands

Rudder system – Macduff Shipyards

Steering gear – Scan Steering APS, Denmark

Wheelhouse windows and portlights – HK Van Wingerden & An BV, Netherlands

Fish handling system – North East Fabricators, UK

Refrigeration system and ice machine – Premier Refrigeration, UK

Paint system – International, UK

Wheelhouse chairs – Norsap, UK

Oil fuel filter/separator and main engine oil fine filter – CC Jensen, UK

Pressure washers – Grampian Power Clean, UK

Anchors and chain – Fendercare Marine, UK

Switchboard and electrical system – R D Downie Limited, UK

The vessels’ construction was contracted to Skagen Ship Consulting, who worked with their chosen shipyard, Etkin Marin of Turkey.  Following completion and shipping to the UK, the vessels completed commissioning at Macduff Shipyards before their final voyage to their home waters.  The vessels are designed for mussel harvesting but are capable of performing multiple roles within the industry.  They are also designed to meet low water and air draft requirements for operation around the Islands.  Alongside this, vessel manoeuvrability during mussel harvesting operations is critical – so the vessels are arranged with both bow and stern thrusters to ensure accurate control at low speeds.

Macduff Ship Design and Blueshell Mussels worked very closely together on the design from initial concept, through yard tender, to delivery to ensure that the vessels met all of the owners’ requirements.  The process led to a bespoke vessel incorporating many new features to streamline all aspects of the vessels operation.

Alongside their harvesting duties, the vessels can perform multi-role tasks such as mooring work, crane operations and towing.  The vessels are arranged with four specialist double harvest davits to starboard and a Guerra M230.20A marine crane supplied by Thistle Group.  With a beam of 7.20m and depth of 2.30m, the vessels have ample space for the state of the art harvesting system and carriage of the harvested mussels.

The vessels feature a spacious cabin, mess and pantry area below deck forward, with bunks for 4 crew.  Off this area is a WC with a toilet and shower.  Sitting atop the focsle is the spacious wheelhouse, arranged with skipper’s chair and controls to starboard, and crew lounge to port.  The wheelhouse has access to the focsle deck via a door on the starboard side.  Internal steps lead down to main deck level and a small landing with dry locker, main deck access door, cabin access and engine room access.

Moving below to the engine room, twin 360HP Doosan L126 TIH main engines running at 2000rpm are installed, driving fixed pitch open propellers through Dong-I gearboxes with 4.04:1 reduction ratio.  Auxiliary power is provided a Doosan AD136 TI, which also drives the hydraulic system, and a Beta genset.  The propellers and bow and stern thrusters were all supplied by Kort Propulsion.

Both vessels are classed to the new UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency Workboat Code III, to operate in Category III waters up to 20 miles from a safe haven.

Macduff Ship Design is delighted to have been able to work with Blueshell Mussels, Skagen Ship Consulting and Etkin Marin on these projects, and looks forward to developing our relationship further with all partners.

The design for the first vessels is kept simple, allowing for them to complete multiple roles as a general workboat or line handling vessel within many industries.  The conventional layout with a forward wheelhouse and large open deck is complemented with the fitting of a tow post and 10 T SWL tow hook.

The design was however completed to allow for future vessels to have significant variation.  The main optional changes that can be incorporated are the potential of an addition focsle deck to give higher forward freeboard and improved below deck accommodation, and the option to lengthen the vessel mid-ships to suit owner requirement. The design also allows for the addition of winches or a crane to be fitted to any of the designs.

The vessel is built with twin propellers supplied by Kort propulsion.  They are driven by Caterpillar C9.3 main engines rated at 416 HP @ 2100 rpm, coupled to 2 x Twin Disc MGX5114 gearboxes driving the two 1250mm propellers which are fitted in Kort nozzles to give an improved bollard pull.  On trials the vessels achieved an impressive 10T Bollard Pull and also 10.2 knots.

‘MV Police’ 13m harbour workboat

14m Line Handler

‘AQS Trym’ 18.5m Catamaran

‘Eternal Promise’ 20m fishing trawler

‘Arthur Douglas’ 21m landing craft

‘Forever Faithful’ 22.75m fishing trawler

To further reduce the environmental impact of the vessel, the propulsion package was very carefully considered. The vessel features a Masson Marine W6000 gearbox with a large 10:1 reduction, the largest reduction ratio the yard has fitted to date with a fixed pitch propeller. This gearbox allowed the yard to fit a 2.5 m diameter propeller, fitted within a modern profile of nozzle duct, providing high thrust at low speeds but also a slight increase of thrust at steaming speeds too compared to the previous vessel. The propulsion power is provided by a Caterpillar C18 main engine with a power output of 600 hp.

The C18 main engine on FOREVER FAITHFUL is a Tier III certified engine and as typical features a catalytic convertor and a urea/AdBlue system which enables the engine to meet the new, more stringent emission standards set by the IMO. Certification of the engine and SCR system was arranged by Finning CAT with certification provided by DNV/GL. The system was proven to work well during sea trials where the 35 dB reduction SCR silencer helped the reduce noise levels throughout the vessel. It is the third system of this design fitted by the yard to date, and the sixth vessel the yard has delivered with Tier III certified engines.

The hull of FOREVER FAITHFUL is built entirely from steel, apart from the wheelhouse and mast which are aluminium, and features a double chine hull form, transom stern and modern bow designed to cut cleanly through the sea with less energy leading to a reduction in fuel consumption and emissions along with increased crew comfort.

Although a sister ship to two other vessels, the layout of the FORVER FAITHFUL varies significantly, both inside and out. In a first for the yard, the accommodation above the deck is fitted solely to the port side, with two washrooms and the cabin access fitted aft and a generously sized galley mess amidships running forward. The starboard side features a dry locker aft centre, with the fish hopper outboard of this, immediately forward of the aft shelter where the two net drums are situated. Once the catch has been lifted onboard, it is taken forward by a hydraulic conveyor onto the working deck, where the catch is selected and washed.

The FOREVER FAITHFUL is arranged for freezing the catch at sea. Once the catch is sorted and washed, it is then packed at the forward end of the working deck, before being taken into a blast room on the forward port side, immediately forward of the galley when the prawns are frozen at -35 to -40 degrees centigrade for a period of around four hours to six hours. The blast room can hold around 1000 kg of packed product on the stainless-steel racking arranged inside.

Once the product is frozen, it is then lowered directly into the cold store below, situated in the aft part of the hold until it is landed at the end of the trip. A bulkhead with large cold store door divides the fish hold into two, and the forward part of the hold is arranged as a traditional wet fish hold with its own chilling system, and capable of holding around 250 boxes of chilled fish.

A bespoke hydraulic deck machinery package was fabricated by the yard including of a triple barrel winch featuring a Hagglunds compact CA210 motor, two split net drums complete with two Hagglunds compact CA70 motors per drum. Thistle Marine of Peterhead supplied both the MFB8 landing crane and MBK7 power block crane, both of which featuring a slew ring base. A small hoisting winch is fitted to help the move the catch in the hold when landing.

Primary hydraulic power is provided by a dedicated auxiliary engine, a Doosan/Hyundai 4AD086 with 199 kW engine power available. This engine also certified to IMO Tier III standards and features a SCR unit and urea pumping system. The auxiliary engine drives two hydraulic pumps for primary power, but the vessel also features a 45 kW electric motor hydraulic motor pump which acts as a net retrieve and can be ran in the harbour powered by either generator set.

Cooling systems for all engines and hydraulics onboard are served by box coolers supplied by Blokland Non-Ferro.

Electrical power onboard is provided by two Mitsubishi generator sets supplied by Macduff Diesels Limited, each with a rating of 98 kWe and of sufficient size to run the vessels power independently providing complete redundancy.

The electrical systems onboard were designed and fitted by R.D. Downie who also fabricated the vessels switchboard and control panels for all the pumps and motor starters.  In addition to this R.D. Downie also provided the fire, bilge and gas alarm systems onboard along with the navigation light panel and assisted with the installation of the navigation equipment.

The fish processing deck features a catch handling system built by the yard and Northeast Fabricators, along with the sorting tables and racking for freezing the product.

The fish hold freezing/refrigeration systems along with ice machine were all supplied and fitted by Premier Refrigeration. The vessel features four separates set of plant, and utilises blower type units instead of traditional refrigeration pipes.

The vessel was fully painted by the yard with International products applied to a comprehensive marine spec. Davidsons Marine & Industrial Painters applied the external coatings to the vessel.

The high specification navigation package was supplied and fitted onboard by Woodsons of Aberdeen, please contact Steven Wood for full details.

A trawl monitoring system is fitted, supplied by Marport UK.

Caterpillar C18 main engine supplied by Finning Power Systems, UK

Nozzle supplied by Kort Propulsion, UK

Propeller and Gearbox supplied by Masson Marine, France

Auxilliary engine supplied by Watermota, UK

Generator sets supplied by Macduff Diesels Ltd, UK

Box cooling systems for each engine and the hydraulic circuit supplied by Blokland Non Ferro, Netherlands

Pumps supplied by Azcue Pumps SA, Spain

Deck machinery equipment supplied by the yard

Deck cranes supplied by Thistle Marine, UK

Fire doors supplied by B-15 Marine Ltd, UK

Weathertight doors supplied by Winel, Netherlands

Rudder system supplied by the yard

Steering gear supplied by Scan Steering APS, Denmark

Wheelhouse windows and portlights supplied by HK Van Wingerden & An BV, Netherlands

Fish handling system supplied by the North East Fabricators, UK

Refrigeration system and ice machine supplied by Premier Refrigeration, UK

Paint system by International, UK

Wheelhouse chairs supplied by Norsap, UK

Oil fuel filter/separator and main engine oil fine filter supplied by CC Jensen, UK

Pressure washers supplied by Grampian Power Clean, UK

Anchors and chain supplied by Fendercare Marine, UK

Switchboard and electrical system supplied and installed by R D Downie Limited, UK