Launches two 70 m catamarans with ship launching airbags
admin:admin time:2019-02-27
In 2010 years, Eversafe Marine helped the launching of two 6800 tons (lightweight) DSV ,named CABALLO MAYA (IMO:9453341) and Caballo MARANGO (IMO: 9526382) in Strategic Marine Vietnam yard.
In 2018 years Eversafe Marine was invited by SMV to take a consultation work for three units passenger catamaran launching. Ordered by Terschellinger Groenvloot Maatschappij B.V., the new building aluminum Ropax catamarans, with single fuel propulsion are constructed in Strategic Marine yard in Vung Tau Vietnam.Designed by BMT Nigel Gee, those two LNG single fuel RoPax CATAMARAN ferries, numbered as H387 and H388, will be shipped to Holland for Rederij Doeksen by submersible barge.
Challenges
The launching of two catamaran ferries is the combination of various techniques: SPMTs heavy transportation, marine airbags vessel transportation, airbag heavy lifting and ship launching, cradle construction and fixing,etc.
The yard needs to launch those two catamarans in 5 days. Every steps of operation must be completed on time and some operations are affected by the tidal change.
Catamaran Cradle:
Catamaran has thin fin structure, to enable airbags can have enough contact area with catamaran bottom, extra cradles are needed. The cradles design and how to fixing to aluminium catamaran is a big problem.
Catamaran Transportation
Those two units RoPax CATAMARAN ferries were build in the workshop, need to be transported to launching slipway via SPMTs first. But SPMTs can only put down the catamarans in the middle of slipway, not the final launching position.
So marine airbags will take over the left jobs. They will lift catamarans from 1.3-1.5 m high keel blocks and move them to get near the water, until reach final launching position.
Moving catamarans to launching position, must be completed within low tide time, which last only a couple hours generally. A for H388/387, people need to move vessels 40 meters forward in three hours.
Catamaran launching
When catamarans are moved to final launching position, they will be launched with ship launching airbags in high tide time.
Those wave-piercing catamarans employ a low-buoyancy bow on each hull that is pointed at the water line and rises aft, up to a level. The spanning bridge deck is configured with some of the characteristics of a normal V-hull.
The features of wave-piercing catamarans have higher demand of launching with airbags, the low buoyancy bow and stern need more supporting forces from marine airbags during the launching.
Solutions
Eversafe Marine takes over the technical service for the catamaran launching, include design, calculation and launching supervising. Working with EMAS and SMV engineering teams, we designed the cradles for aluminium catamarans transportation and launching. By several times calculation, Eversafe Marine optimizes the launching procedures, ensure 100% safety of the project.
Achievements
On 16th January 2019 Eversafe engineering team arrived at SMV shipyard, which is located in Vung Tau city of Vietnam.
From 18th January to 19th January, Eversafe engineering team helped SMV launched the first 70 M catamaran ,H388, Named Willem de Vlamingh.
Then from 21st January to 22nd January, the second wave-piercing catamaran, named as Willem Barentsz was successfully launched into the sea by efforts of all teams involved.
Every two days, launched one vessel, it is very productive. And the said launching, includes moving catamaran out of workshop, move to slipway, put down vessel on blocks by SPMTs, heavy lifting and transport by marine airbags, at last release vessel for launching. All teams involved the project works 14 hours everyday to catch the schedule.
It is very impressive of SMV yard performance and EMAS engineering teams’ professionality. Eversafe Marine engineering team give thanks to all teams involved in the project, especially to our group company for the great support.
Details of the 70m catamaran passenger ferry
Length: 70 m
Beam: 17 m
Passengers: 592
Vehicles: 66 cars
Speed: 14 knots
Class: LR *100 A1, SSC PASSENGER, CATAMARAN, G2, UMS, LFPF (GF,NG)
