Finnish boatbuilder Kewatec has signed an agreement with the Swedish company Midocean AB for the delivery of two new survey vessels.
Two 23-metre-long vessels will be delivered to Sweden in June 2022. The contract value is approx. EUR 6 million and the agreement strengthens Kewatec's already strong order stock.
Both parties signed the agreement remotely on May 11th, 2021. Before the contract was signed, the concept was developed together at the beginning of 2021 to meet the requirements and needs of the customer.
The vessels are a further development of Kewatec’s new 22-metre-long Fire Fighting & Oil Recovery Boat that was completed and delivered in spring 2021. The length of the new vessel is 23 metres, and the width is 6.4 metres, designed for survey work on the Baltic Sea. The vessels have laboratory, research, and accommodation facilities for up to six, as well as the necessary equipment to be out at sea for a few days.
The vessels are equipped with batteries to be able to work a few hours and take samples without having the diesel engines running. An A-lift frame, winch and crane are mounted on the aft deck to handle the research equipment. The aft deck also has a weatherproof space with garage door which creates excellent and safe working conditions at sea. The vessels are equipped with Volvo D13-600 SCR Imo Tier III rated engines, Twindisc gearboxes and Escopower hybrid drive units.
STEP FORWARD
These two new survey vessels are a major new step forward for the company and an addition of advanced and versatile vessels to its broad product portfolio.
"We are confident that the collaboration with Midocean AB will be successful and thank you for the trust”, says Jan Wargh, Sales Manager at Kewatec.
"These two ships – Ocean Seeker and Ocean Nomad – will be flexible modern hybrid vessels to support research on the Baltic Sea and Kattegat/Skagerack". Joacim Höög, Chief Operating Officer at Midocean AB.
"With these vessels, we can continue to develop methods and tools to collect large amounts of data on how the sea works and how it is doing. Ocean Seeker and Ocean Nomad will be the mother vessels of our autonomous research vessels and platforms for other advanced research on the sea. We are driven by the idea that we need more knowledge to help sustainably manage the sea and its resources." Carl Douglas, President of the Voice of the Ocean Foundation. www.voiceoftheocean.org
ALUMINIUM EXPERTISE
Oy Kewatec AluBoat Ab is a Finnish company whose history dates to the 1970s. The business is based on strong boat expertise and is today one of the Nordic region's leading manufacturers of professional aluminium boats. A large part of Kewatec’s production is exported.
The company has delivered hundreds of professional boats to meet customer needs. The customer base consists of public actors such as sea rescue, fire brigades, police forces, defence forces and coastguards, as well as companies and associations that need work boats for professional use.
The wide range of products includes professionally designed work boats, passenger boats, fire fighting and oil recovery boats, pilot boats and patrol vessels, which can be easily modified to meet the customer's specific needs.
The company also offers professional boat docking services and associated maintenance, repair, and renovation services as well as modifications.
Turnover is approximately EUR 27 million and employs approximately 100 people. The locations are Kokkola and Porvoo in Finland and Bergen in Norway. The company is headquartered in Kokkola.
By Jake Frith
