INTERSHIP WELLBOAT FIRST TO FEATURE 2-SPEED GEAR

The 72.2m-long vessel, which is under construction at the Spanish shipyard Zamakona Yards Bilbao, will provide a combined tank capacity of around 2,200 cubic metres.

Designed by Norway’s NSK Ship Design, the vessel has been ordered by Norway’s Intership AS. The vessel will be Intership’s second wellboat operating along the coast of Eastern Canada under a long-term contract with Mowi.

The live fish carrier features a Finnøy Gear & Propeller AS 2-speed gearbox: Finnøy claims that the wellboat will be the first vessel of its kind to be equipped with a 2-speed gear. The solution offers operational advantages for wellboats that have several different operating modes, depending upon weather conditions, operating speed and the vessel’s load.

In transit with a loaded or unloaded boat, at economy speed, the LOW- step is used. For loaded boats in challenging weather, HIGH- gear is used for the purpose of operating the vessel with optimal propeller speed in relation to the power requirement on the propeller. In addition, the gear is also equipped with PTH (Power Take Home) so that the ship can operate even if service is performed or if problems occur with the main engine.

Finnoy notes that the vessel’s propulsion system and highly efficient propellers mean the live fish carrier will achieve significantly higher fuel efficiency than vessels of a similar size, while offering reduced maintenance costs.

Finnoy’s Sales Manager, Arne Nogva commented that the aquaculture sector was looking closely at ship designs that reduced total operating costs while lowering greenhouse gas emissions. “Several other shipowners have also shown interest in similar 2-speed solutions”, Arne Nogva said. “Data from the 2-speed project indicate enormous potential and will contributes to the further development and use of green technology,” Nogva concluded.