Austal Ltd. has delivered its second high speed crew transfer vessel this year, to Swire Pacific Offshore (SPO). The 57.6m, all-aluminium catamaran was designed by Incat Crowther and constructed by Austal’s shipyard in the Philippines. It is the fourth offshore crew transfer vessel delivered by Austal in the past 15 months.
The 40 knot Offshore Express 57 large crew transfer vessel (LCTV), named Pacific Kestrel, is capable of safely transporting 90 personnel (plus cargo) to offshore platforms up to Sea State 6 (defined as very rough conditions with wave heights between 4-6m).
The Pacific Kestrel features an Ampelmann motion-compensated “walk-to-work” (W2W) gangway that allows for the safe transfer of personnel to offshore platforms. Aided by a DP-2 (dynamic positioning) control system, the vessel has built-in redundancy to successfully complete transfers in the unlikely event of an engine or bow thruster failing.
In addition to a large, 200sq m cargo deck allowing up to 100-tonne of cargo to be transported, the vessel also has Search and Rescue capability (SAR), with an on-board Fast Rescue Craft (FRC) available for rapid deployment and a chemical dispersant adding oil-spill ‘first response’ capability.
Image: Pacific Kestrel LCTV/Austal Ltd.
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