Castoldi Turbodrive Waterjets Chosen for Patrol Vessels

Italian waterjet systems company Castoldi has announced recent successful sea trials for two patrol vessels equipped with dual installations of the latest Castoldi Turbodrive 400 HCT waterjets.

One newbuidings has been built for the Italian Coastguard, the other for fisheries patrol duties in the North Sea, Germany.

The new 16-meter patrol vessel for the Italian Coastguard recently exceeded its design brief in an early sea trial, said Giacomo Castoldi, owner at Castoldi. “This new generation, high performance boat, christened CP335 and designed and constructed in Italy by FB Design, began its life with a demanding cruise from Venice to Puglia in winter sea conditions. The crew recorded speeds up to 38 knots, which is higher than the maximum forecast by the designers, underscoring the efficiency of the Turbodrive 400 HCT.”

Ebe Buzzi, Commercial Director at FB design added: “With a tight delivery timing and a demanding customer, Castoldi provided the best solution on the market. After many years of using only our own propulsion system, we were surprised both by the ease of installation and by the performance. Castoldi allowed us to build a fast, reliable, efficient boat, that was also incredibly easy to maneuver and perfectly suited the client’s needs.

Obtaining its name from its 400mm jet housing, integrated gearbox/hydraulic clutch and high thrust efficiency, the Turbodrive 400 HCT is the latest size in a new range of high technology waterjets that have been designed using the latest and most advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, making them up to12% more efficient than previous waterjets.

Recently completed at German shipyard Tamsen Maritim, the new 17-meter fisheries patrol vessel provides another example of a demanding vessel use profile for the Castoldi Turbodrive 400 HCT waterjets. The vessel is set to patrol the cold waters of the Baltic year-round.

Castoldi waterjets feature a durable integrated gearbox (heavy duty certified) and multi-disc hydraulic clutch allowing the drive to be engaged and disengaged without stopping the engine. They can also be equipped with the Clear-Duct advanced cleaning system that, when activated, performs the dual action of impeller reversing (back-flushing) and intake screen grid opening, reducing time off service for hard-working commercial vessels.

Both vessels rely upon the Castoldi ACES control system for accurate station keeping in port and at sea. ACES is a totally integrated Electronic Control System based on a 32-bit embedded processor using a dedicated CAN bus network protocol. Designed in partnership with Xenta, a specialist in integrated control systems, ACES is suitable for single or multiple installations of Castoldi waterjet units. It provides control of engine rpm, waterjet steering nozzles and reversing buckets in docking, cruising and dynamic positioning mode operations. Additionally, ACES is available with a proven interface for USV applications and Turbodrive 400 HCT will soon be installed on such a vessel.

Castoldi ACES is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution, and in both these builds it has been extensively configured to serve the hull and power characteristics of two very different vessels. Chiara Colombo, Marketing and Communications Manager at Xenta, said: “Xenta continuously improves the algorithms related with the powertrains control systems, focusing specifically on maneuvering and dynamic positioning systems. 20 years ago, Xenta began developing a method (that is part of a registered patent) that allows its algorithm to seamlessly adapt to any type of boat, regardless of differences between vessels. Rather than aiming to define the dynamics of a ‘perfect’ boat, our approach prioritizes replicating the intuitive decisions of an experienced captain in various situations. During the commissioning phases, our engineers enable the system to learn and optimize its handling for each specific boat.”