Newbuild shellfish farming boat

The aluminium boatbuilder has just secured a contract with Offshore Shellfish Ltd, to build a robust shellfish farming boat which will service the company’s rope grown mussel farms, in Lyme Bay, Devon.

Following consultations with Alnmaritec, Offshore Shellfish commissioned a 15.2m Wave Farmer 1400 design, which is based on the highly successful Alnmaritec Wave Train catamaran hull form.

Simon Pullin, project manager, Alnmaritec, said: “The team at Offshore Shellfish have come to us because of our expertise in building tough boats. They are the experts in shellfish farming and within this niche sector they have specified a number of precise pieces of equipment to customise the boat further.”

The new boat will be built to exacting standards and comply with the UK MCA code of practice for Small Commercial Vessels operating in sea area category 2, ie up to 60 miles from a safe haven.

It will be powered by twin Cummins QSC8.3 engines with ZF 286 marine gearboxes and will also be propelled by Hamilton HJ364 water jets with Blue Arrow controls, aiding manoeuvrability, particularly at very slow speeds.

Offshore Shellfish’s new vessel is currently in the fabrication stage and will be launched in early summer 2015.

Visit Alnmaritec on stand A119 at this year’s Seawork International.

By Anne-Marie Causer