Chartwell Marine Launches Hybrid Patrol Boat
An exciting new player in the global naval architecture space has been formed, with the official launch of Chartwell Marine Ltd. (Chartwell Marine), a UK-based firm that sets out to be a pioneer in next-generation vessel design.
Headed up by Andy Page, a reputed naval architect with an industry-leading track record designing award-winning high-speed vessels, Chartwell Marine supports ambitious boat builders and vessel operators around the world with independent design and consultancy services.
At the Seawork International exhibition in Southampton, Chartwell Marine is unveiling a brand new hybrid patrol boat, designed in collaboration with aluminium craft specialists, Wight Shipyard Co. This vessel design is the first in the new Chasewell range of hybrid patrol and pilot boats – each of which will benefit from unique hybrid system architecture and an innovative new hull form that minimizes drag and resistance throughout the speed range.
With the global market for maritime services continuing to evolve at pace, the demands placed on workboats – and their operators – are also changing. The growth of new industries such as offshore wind, combined with an international drive to boost both the efficiency and sustainability of vessel operations, is creating demand for innovative new vessel designs that more effectively meet the requirements of the end user.
For this first Chasewell vessel, Chartwell Marine has worked with boat builder Wight Shipyard Co. to create a design that specifically targets the challenge of improving air quality at major ports in the UK and further afield. In order to meet increasingly ambitious emissions reduction goals, port operators are now demonstrating considerable interest in the role of hybrid vessels.
There are, however, significant design challenges to be overcome in the development of effective hybrid workboats and ferries. In particular, naval architects have rarely needed to study the effects of low speed resistance on vessel performance in so much detail. Traditional hull designs, while appropriate for high-speed operation, may not be suitable when a vessel is being driven by electrical propulsion alone.
The Chasewell range is the product of extensive research undertaken by the team at Chartwell Marine into low speed resistance, and benefits from a brand-new hull design that enables efficient performance under both diesel and electrical propulsion. Ultimately this hull form, optimized through extensive computational flow dynamics (CFD) testing, allows the operator to maximize time spent on electrical power, with substantial advantages when it comes to reducing total emissions.
“Chartwell Marine has been founded to help vessel operators respond to the challenges and new operational requirements emerging in the market – and the development of the Chasewell hybrid patrol & pilot boat range is just one example of how we’re doing this,” said Andy Page, Naval Architect and Managing Director, Chartwell Marine.
“In today’s market, it’s rare that a one-size-fits-all approach will meet the needs of the end user, and we specialize in pioneering, next-generation vessel designs that are not only optimized to meet a specific requirement from the outset, but are then continuously refined on the basis of operational hours served at sea.”
Chartwell Marine has already seen significant global demand for its vessel design and consultancy services, with contracts secured throughout Europe, the USA and Asia.