BMT Nigel Gee designs fast crew boat for Penguin Shipyard

JANUARY 18, 2013 — Southampto, U.K., based BMT Nigel Gee has won a design contract with Penguin Shipyard International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore-based crew boat builder and operator, Penguin International Limited, for the design of two 25 m monohull fast crew boats.

Penguin is building the two BV classed, 70-passenger crew boats for ARCO Marine and Oilfield Services for deployment in Nigeria’s offshore oil and gas industry. Delivery of the vessels is expected in the fourth quarter of 2013.

ARCO Marine’s requirements called for a fast crew transfer vessel offering high fuel efficiency, along with maximum reliability and availability. Additionaly the design of the hull, which had to be specifically configured to match the existing infrastructure of the oil field.

BMT worked closely with Penguin throughout the tender process to develop a cost-effective design that met ARCO Marine’s requirements.

The 25 m boat has a four-engine (MAN D2842LE405), four-waterjet (Rolls Royce A40A3) configuration, in order to provide the maximum operational flexibility and optimum fuel efficiency at a range of speeds. The four-engine configuration also provides an element of redundancy, enabling the vessel to safely complete its role with any one propulsion train down for maintenance or repair.

The vessel has accommodations for four crew members with an endurance of four days, a range of over 600 nautical miles, a maximum speed in excess of 30 knots and four tonnes of deck cargo capacity. Above the deck, the wheelhouse has good all-round visibility for maximum safety in the oilfield and a fire monitor on the upper deck superstructure.

Ed Dudson, Technical Director at BMT Nigel Gee, comments: “We’ve worked with Penguin Shipyard International previously on a project to design and build three high-speed passenger catamarans for the Shipping Corporation of India but this is the first for the oil and gas sector, an area where Penguin is particularly strong.”