See the sounds of silence at Seawork

The venture will ensure South Boats’ latest 18m wind farm support vessel will remain quiet on the water, with increased comfort for those on board.

With an escalating need for all commercial vessels to be built with high levels of safety, reduced noise levels and enhanced crew comfort, South Boat Special Projects commissioned Halyard, known for its innovative design solutions, to design, build and install a full exhaust system for the vessel Penrhyn Bay.

South Boat Special Projects has built Penrhyn Bay, an 18m aluminium catamaran, specifically for Turbine Transfers Ltd., which operates of a variety of commercial vessels deployed in support of the oil, wind farm and dredging sectors. Built to a Det Norske Veritas (DNV) offshore classification to ensure adequate safety and reliability at sea, Penrhyn Bay is currently based in Lowestoft and is working on the Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm project.

Throughout the build, Halyard worked closely with South Boat Special Projects to design a bespoke exhaust system which would drastically reduce all sound and internal reverberation from engine to transom. These factors are known to cause sea sickness and discomfort for those working long hours onboard.

The exhaust system has been fitted to each of the vessel’s MTU 8V 2000 diesel engines, using stainless steel risers and silencers to effectively eject cooling water and exhaust gases whilst silencing an engine’s combustion noise.

Ben Colman, technical director of South Boats Special Projects Ltd said, “We have had a long relationship with Halyard and have always focused on noise and vibration levels throughout all of our vessels. Penrhyn Bay and her sister ship Llandudno Bay have again proved to have exceptional levels of passenger comfort.”

Halyard claims the honour of being the only company in the world able to manufacture an entire exhaust solution from ‘turbo to transom’ in-house. Service and support starts from the initial designs through to assistance during manufacture and installation, right through to final sea trials. Throughout any project the company’s integrated 3D CAD technology enables fast and accurate document and design exchange and delivery anywhere in the world to ensure the project is fully documented and recorded.

Halyard can be visited on Stand B27 at Seawork International. MCS Maestro and MPI Dulcinea, both built by South Boats Special Projects Ltd, will be on display at the bottom of the main gangway to the Seawork floating pontoon.