Roller screens for Trinidad and Tobago patrol vessels
At the end of last month two technicians from South Shields UK based Solar Solve Marine travel to Glasgow to install 15 of the company’s SOLASAFE roller screens at the navigation bridge windows of the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Port of Scarborough, the second in a series of three OPVs for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.
Previously the same two technicians had completed a similar installation on the first vessel in the series, Port of Spain, built by BAE Systems at their Portsmouth facility.
In April 2007, BAE Systems received a £150m contract to build, integrate, test and commission (up to sea trials) three OPVs for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard. Construction of the vessels was started in January 2008.
OPV1, Port of Spain is being constructed at Portsmouth whilst OPV2, Port of Scarborough, and OPV3, Port of Santa Fe, are being constructed at BAE’s Scotstoun facility on the River Clyde in Scotland.
Once commissioned, the vessels will perform a range of Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) management, special operations and maritime law enforcement tasks. They are all being built to the same specification of 90.5m LOA, 13.5m beam, and a draught of 3.5m. The vessels will have a nominal crew of 60 and accommodation for 50 fully equipped troops.
With a maximum speed in excess of 25 knots, they will have a range at 12 knots of more than 5,500 nautical miles and 35 days endurance. With the ability to conduct helicopter operations, the OPV’s will have ample deck space for the transport of containers and additional craft and the ability to replenish at sea.
Solar Solve Marine’s operations director Carl Johnson said, ‘BAE is a highly successful international company whose reputation to some degree rests on the performance of its subcontractors. Everyone at Solar Solve is well aware of this and once again we are proud to be of service and part of their supply chain for these high performance patrol vessels.’
