Halmatic's most significant news is the acquisition last month of the Cara Marine Ltd commercial craft designs and moulds. These will be added to its existing range of workboats and related craft. Cara Marine will now concentrate on its strategy to build leisure craft.

Although Halmatic supplies mouldings to the leisure boat market, it does not actively market designs or supply complete craft to this sector.

Halmatic's Managing Director Mike Burnham commented, 'It is difficult to combine the differing approaches demanded by commercial and leisure boat customers. This also has an impact on price and profitability.

By concentrating on our respective strengths, Halmatic will add further to its product range in the commercial sector and Cara Marine will be able to focus much more effectively on its leisure business. The two companies plan an ongoing co-operation as we move into the separate market areas.'

A surge of recent Halmatic deliveries saw six Pacific 22 Mk I RIBs go to the JSC Baltiysky Zavod Shipyard in St Petersburg, Russia, where they will be deployed on three new frigates that JSC Baltiysky Zavod has built for the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy has stipulated Halmatic's Pacific 22 Mk I RIBs as their standard ships boats since the 1980s. The new RIBs are powered by Cummins 4 BTA marine diesel engines rated 150hp at 2,800 rpm coupled to a Sternpowr 101 outdrive for a service speed of 22 knots.

Also delivered last month was a new Halmatic Nelson pilot boat for Casablanca Pilots. The 10.6m loa vessel is powered by twin Volvo TAMD 63L engines delivering 235hp at 2,500 rpm through Twin Disc MG 5061A gearboxes for a speed of 22 knots.

It has just completed an acceptance trials programme in the Solent.

It is the second identical vessel for Casablanca Pilots, who were happy with the excellent handling characteristics in typical 2 to 3m Atlantic swells of their first Halmatic Nelson 35.

MJ information No: 17111