In early April, Alusafe 1500 MPV, a well-equipped workboat was delivered from Maritime Partner AS. It is the Port Authority of Aalesund’s new workboat, a virtual “Swiss army knife” multi-purpose vessel, named Skansen.
The newly developed MPV will carry out an array of assignments along the coast, in the harbour, and along the quay fronts of the Norway’s Aalesund-Sunnmøre region. This high-speed workboat will carry out assignments throughout four municipalities: Aalesund, Sula, Giske, and Haram.
The Port Authority of Aalesund has approved the Skansen, having met the new regulations for coastal vessels and for oil spill response duties. The vessel is fully equipped to handle a wide array of different scenarios, such as assisting other vessels in distress through towing, placing oil booms, assist the fire department in fire-fighting operations, as well as performing underwater inspections, rescue-diving missions, and supporting fish farming.
This new workboat has been given the same name as the previous Port Authority workboat, and is relieving its earlier Skansen predecessor that had been operating the waters of the Aalesund region since 1975.
“The previous vessel should have been replaced many years ago,” says Port Captain Anders Bjørdal, from The Port Authority of Aalesund. “Our new vessel meets all our traditional needs. In addition, improved stability and high towing capacity makes Skansen an important part of our emergency preparedness, especially within Sunnmøre’s Inter-municipal Unit against Acute (IUA) pollution situations,” explains the Port Captain.
The new Skansen, which is 14.99 meters in length and 4.9 meters in width, is of a brand new design. It has a maximum speed of 32 knots with total seating capacity for eight crewmembers. The vessel is equipped with twin diesel Volvo Penta D9 engines, driving waterjets through marine transmission systems. The hull is a fully planning mono hull, single chine with deep V-shape designed to ensure smooth operation in adverse weather and sea conditions. The vessel is certified for oil-pollution response operations, and is equipped with high towing capacity for towing oil booms. It is also fitted with a water cannon for firefighting operations.
On the foredeck, the vessel is equipped with a capstan winch, with a capacity of 3 tons, and a crane with a lifting-capacity of 4.5 tons. The reinforced deck can withstand concentrated loads, and is approved for carrying cargo up to a weight of 5 tons in order to load heavy equipment needed for various operations.
“In addition to performing tasks such as craning and towing, placing floating piers and such, it is very useful for clearing heavy objects and debris from the water to keep the fairway open, and performing maintenance tasks on navigational installations,” says Port Captain Bjørdal.
Port of Aalesund’s newly delivered Alusafe 1500 MPV High-speed Multi-purpose Vessel built by Maritime Partner, Norway.
The bow-ramp, which can also be remotely operated from the helmsman’s position at the bridge, provides opportunity to deploy oil booms from deck. The aft deck is fitted with one additional capstan winch, with a 1 ton pulling capacity, and a remote-released towing hook, operated from the helmsman’s position at the bridge.
Having a large load capacity, and also a hydraulically operated bow-ramp, provides the opportunity to employ the vessel as a transportation platform that can carry heavy machinery such as All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), fire engines, and police patrol cars to areas that are otherwise inaccessible.
“This vessel provides an excellent working platform for ensuring fairways are clear of debris, and in addition it will also be an effective aid for pollution response and other perils near the ports. The Skansen is also an effective tool for the Fire and Police Departments, by simplifying some of their operations in remote areas,” says Port Captain Anders Bjørdal.
Aalesund Fire Department and the Port Authority of Aalesund have an agreement where the fire department can use the vessel for training operations 15 hours every year. “Should a boat or ship catch fire, this vessel will make the firefighting operation much more efficient. This new vessel is much more versatile than its predecessor was, it can carry more equipment and has an enormous range of application. We will even be able to fit our smallest fire engine aboard the vessel, should we need to bring additional capacity to the area,” says Fire Chief Geir Thorsen of the Aalesund Fire Department.
“Its ability to place and tow oil booms, and provide a substantial resource for rescue-operations at sea, diving missions, and similar operations is very useful for the fire department,” says Fire Chief Geir Thorsen. The new Skansen will be exhibited in July 2016 at the Seawork International Fair in Southampton, England.
