Fast Crew Boat Design: BMT Wins Penguin Contract

Press Release January 21, 2013

BMT-designed Fast Crew Boat: Photo credit BMT Nigel Gee

BMT Group subsidiary, BMT Nigel Gee, contracted to design two 25-metre Fast Crew Boats for Penguin International Ltd.

Penguin Shipyard International, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore-based crewboat builder and operator, Penguin International Limited.

Penguin is building the two BV classed, 70-passenger Fast Crew Boats for ARCO Marine and Oilfield Services for deployment in Nigeria’s offshore oil and gas industry. Delivery of the vessels is expected in the fourth quarter of 2013.

ARCO Marine had presented a challenging requirement for a fast crew transfer vessel that offers high fuel efficiency, along with maximum reliability and availability. An additional challenge was posed by the design of the hull, which had to be specifically configured to match the existing infrastructure of the oil field.

BMT worked closely with Penguin throughout the tender process to develop a cost-effective design that fully matched ARCO Marine’s exacting requirements. The result is a highly flexible and economical design that will enable ARCO Marine to further expand their range of services, in support of Nigeria’s burgeoning offshore sector.

The 25m Fast Crew Boat has a four-engine (MAN D2842LE405), four-waterjet (Rolls Royce A40A3) configuration, in order to provide the maximum operational flexibility and optimum fuel efficiency at a range of speeds. The four-engine configuration also provides an element of redundancy, enabling the vessel to safely complete its role with any one propulsion train down for maintenance or repair.

Each vessel has accommodation for four crew members with an endurance of four days, a range of over 600 nautical miles and a maximum speed in excess of 30 knots. Above the deck, the design incorporates a wheelhouse that has good all-round visibility for maximum safety in the oilfield and a fire monitor on the upper deck superstructure. Each vessel can also carry up to four tonnes of deck cargo.

Ed Dudson, Technical Director at BMT Nigel Gee, comments: “We’ve worked with Penguin Shipyard International previously on a project to design and build three high-speed passenger catamarans for the Shipping Corporation of India but this is the first for the oil and gas sector, an area where Penguin is particularly strong.”