On 28 October 2015, the contract was signed between Damen Shipyards Gorinchem and Frøy Vest AS from Norway, for delivery of a Stan Pontoon 4113 (YN 523702) and a Multi Cat 2712 (YN 571725).
The event took place at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld, the Netherlands. The Multi Cat 2712, with a length of 27.27 meters, a beam of 12.50 meters and a maximum bollard pull of 34.8 tonnes, is a new type of workboat featuring considerable innovation. The vessel carries two Cat C32 TTA CERT engines with a total power of 1,790 bkW at 1,800 rpm, which offer the vessel a maximum speed of 10.5 knots. Her basic functions are anchor handling, dredger service, supply, towing, hose handling, surveying and fish farm works.
The typical applications for the Stan Pontoon 4113 are deck cargo and RoRo operations and she can be deployed in deep-sea areas, coastal and inland waters. The pontoon has a moulded length of 41.40 meters, a moulded beam of 13.00 meters and a moulded depth of 3.00 meters. Her maximum draught is 2.40 meters, her deck load is 10 tonnes per square meter and she has a maximum deadweight of 965 tonnes. Her free deck space is 533 square meters. With her deck thickness of 12 mm she is suitable for extra heavy weights.
According to Remko Hottentot, Damen Manager Sales Norway, the Damen-developed combination of a Multi Cat and a Stan Pontoon is an entirely new concept in the fish farm industry. In the past no fewer than four vessels were used for fish-farming operations, but the combination of one Multi Cat and a Stan Pontoon is a guarantee that the operational costs for the client are reduced considerably.
Says Mr Hottentot: “This concept is new for the fish farm industry as a whole, not only for this client. The industry is growing and has to comply with stricter norms in terms of safety, the environment, etc. Damen always tries to listen closely to the operational input of clients, who also have to comply with the new flag state demands. So, it was quite logical that we came to this new concept after having heard what Frøy Vest had to say.”
The new concept of combining a Multi Cat with a Stan Pontoon was first presented at the Aqua Nor Trade Fair 2015 in Trondheim and the response was very good.