The 27.50m fish farm workboat “Helen Mary” was designed by MacDuff Ship Design and built by Macduff Shipyards in 2015. Owned by Inverlussa Marine Services she has spent the past 5 years as a multi-purpose support vessel working on a wide range of projects. Recently, having secured a contract in the aquaculture sector, she has returned to MacDuff for refit in readiness for her new role.
It’s well known in the aquaculture industry that sea lice are a serious issue and an outbreak of lice in a pen can make products unmarketable. To combat this issue ‘Helen Mary’ has been prepped to have new Hydrolicing equipment installed. Hydrolicing is a relatively new, environmentally-friendly, solution in which the fish are brought aboard the vessel and deloused through the use of turbulent water. This process requires a large amount of power, more than what the original auxiliary engines could handle, so a YorPower standalone generator has been fitted on a new portside structure above the main deck. In addition to the increase in power new sea suction points have been integrated into the hull to feed the hydrolicing with a continuous supply of seawater. To make way for all of this new equipment it was necessary to remove some existing deck equipment including the main winch.
With the work here in Scotland almost complete, MacDuff Ship Design completed a lightship survey and incline test to allow for a new stability book to be produced. Once the final finishing touches are made to the deck she will leave us here in Aberdeenshire and make her way to Norway to receive the Hydrolicing equipment. We wish her all the best on her voyage and in her new role as a dedicated Hydrolicing vessel.
#DesigningToDeliver
