HVO-fuelled pilot boat replaces 46-year-old predecessor

Atlantic replaces the 46-year-old LK Mitchell, a 17.5m Nelson 56 pilot vessel, and is working alongside Arrow, a 16.7m Halmatic-built modern pilot vessel (2006).

Atlantic will run on hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) as part of the harbour’s sustainability targets, harbour CEO Miles Carden said. 

The vessel was built by Holyhead Marine in North Wales and designed by Camarc Design, which has given it a 16.6m pilot boat hull form developed ’to improve efficiency, comfort, reduce fuel consumption and enhance sea-keeping capability’.

“We decided that the only way to rapidly reduce emissions associated with diesel-powered vessels was to replace diesel with HVO, which is up to 90% less carbon intensive,” said Carden. “This allows us to reduce current Scope 1 emissions from 130 tonnes (based on 2022 fuel use) to around 13.9 tonnes per year.”

Emissions are further reduced with a Tier III Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system, which works by injecting AdBlue/Urea into the exhaust system.

The Camarc ‘Popsure’ fender system on it protects the structure against impact loads, reducing stress on the hull, with the outer tube taking away abrasion while the modular foam outer spreads loads over a large area.

Future proofing has been achieved with a spacious engine compartment, which makes it easy to lift out engines if they need replacing.

“Atlantic’s arrival is one of the biggest events for the Harbour for a decade and one of the largest private investments in the Port for a considerable period,” said Carden.

“She will be one of the few Tier 3 compliant pilot vessels operating in the country – with features which help Falmouth Harbour meet out sustainability targets and will run on HVO fuel as soon as her trials are complete.”