Sinbad goes sailing in new Ocean Cat

The vessel was designed by Marine Design International Ltd in Scotland and is the second catamaran in as many years that has been built for Sinbad Marine Services by Mooney Boats. The vessel’s keel was laid on 16 February 2009 and sea trails were completed on 15 September 2009 which gives a very impressive build time of 30 weeks from start to finish. This build was also a new venture for the yard as it has been their first build in aluminum completed to BV Classification by Mooney Boats. According to Lee Mooney, managing director of Mooney Boats, building to Bureau Veritas class rules set some difficult challenges during the build process but the resultant attention to detail has increased the yard’s profile as being one of the first yards in Ireland and the UK to build an aluminum catamaran to BV class rules

The multi-purpose catamaran is a larger and more powerful version of Sinbad’s first catamaran the ‘Coastal Cat’. The Ocean Cat boasts the same flexibility which made the smaller Coastal Cat so successful. The versatile new craft will cater for coastal survey, crew transfer for offshore wind farms, bird and whale watching. The vessel is also equipped with oil spill response, waste oil collection, and bunkering capabilities and has unrestricted navigation of up to 200 miles offshore.

Ocean Cat is built in aluminum to 16.2m LOA, with a 6.8m beam and 1.6m minimum draft. The vessel is powered by two Scania DI12 60M engines coupled to Twin Disc MGX 5114A QuickShift gearboxes of 2.04:1 reduction, with Twin Disc EC 300 electronic controls. The package delivers a top speed of 17 knots and a very impressive 7.5 ton bollard pull. Twin 30hp hydraulic thrusters are fitted in each hull, which makes vessel extremely maneuverable. The vessel is also fitted with a Cummins Onan 13.5 kW silenced generator which supplies 220V power for the ship.

Other engine room features include an air compressor and a Desmi modular S hydraulically driven fire pump which can deliver 90 cu/m of water per hour. This pump will supply twin Delta DF 4500 station monitors on the wheelhouse roof and also two fire hydrants on the ship’s deck. The vessel has been fitted with a 1 1/2″ Jabsco deck wash pump and eight Rule 24 V 56D electric bilge pumps. The steering system is controlled by a 24V hydraulic power assisted system and can be operated from three different stations on the vessel. All stations are fitted with electronic engine and thruster controls.

The Ocean Cat has a 55 sq/m working deck with a load capacity of two tons per sq/m and fitted with a 300mm diameter moon pool for hydrographic survey. Hydraulics are powered from the port engine and can be clutched from the wheelhouse with emergency stops fitted around the deck. Other deck equipment includes a Gueara M110.90A3 crane with SWL of 1,100kg at 9.7m, a five ton double drum Seaquest deck winch, a five ton hydraulic ‘A’ frame with a transom roller, and a seven ton Seacatch towing hook. The vessel is also rigged to run on shore electrical power.

Ocean Cat has diesel bunker capacity of 30 tons and can also be configured to carry 24 tons of waste oil or oil spill contaminants if required during oil spill response activities. Fresh water capacity is 4,000 liters.

Internally the vessel has been fitted out to a very high standard with all the latest conveniences Leather upholstered seating in the wheelhouse caters for 12 persons. There are tables for survey work, a flat screen plasma TV, and power outlets for survey equipment. The skipper gets his own Nor Sap 1000 chair, which is fitted with sliding track.

He is surrounded by a generous electronics package with everything at his fingertips. Cameras are fitted in several positions around the deck and all can all be viewed from skipper’s chair. The galley is fitted with electric hob, fridge, microwave and sink for the essential cup of tea or coffee. Both port and starboard hulls of the vessel have cabins with bunks and seating. The cabin on the port hull has also been fitted out so that it can be used as a survey work station. Off the main deck there is a WC complete with a toilet, shower and sink. All cabins are heated.

According to Sinbad’s marine plant manager Noel McGettigan, the recent increase in offshore activity in terms of both oil and gas exploration and renewable energy demands has created a need for specialized vessels to cater for surveying, crew transfer, oil pollution response and offshore wind farm support. It was primarily on the back of this activity that Sinbad Marine Services has increased its fleet so significantly in the past three years. The Ocean Cat will be the fourth new build vessel that has been delivered to Sinbad Marine Services in the past 18 months. The company also took delivery of a new 2609 Damen Shoalbuster tug with 32 tons bollard pull last month.

Mooney (Boats) Ltd is confident this new vessel will show other operators what is available from Irish vessel builders. The company has draft plans for a new crew change catamaran for the offshore market. Mooney (Boats) Ltd is also currently completing a new 18m catamaran for an operator in Scotland and is just starting to build a new 12m steel tug.