Osiris Projects Takes Delivery of Blyth Workcat

The new boat, named Proteus of Liverpool, has been custom-built at the Blyth Workcats yard on Canvey Island, UK, to provide a fast yet stable and comfortable working platform for coastal survey work.

The boat has been fitted with a range of high specification sonar and acoustic positioning systems that will provide the company’s clients with high quality survey data enhanced by the stability of the new boat.

The Proteus is the fifth vessel in the Osiris Projects fleet and has MCA (Maritime and Coastguard Agency) category 2 approval to work up to 60 miles offshore. With a maximum design speed of 24 knots the new boat will be able to get quickly on station and commence surveying with minimum delay. The new survey boat will work primarily for oil and gas and offshore renewable clients, performing cable and pipeline pre- and post-installation route surveys around the coastline of the UK and Northern Europe.

The new vessel has been custom-built to include a moon pool to house a retractable sonar deployment system, a hydraulic A-frame and retractable transducer mounts and is capable of operating a full spread of survey sensors. With a spacious work cabin and sleeping for four the new boat also provides a comfortable working environment for surveyors and crew with ample space for topsides survey equipment.

The boat’s draft of just 1.1-metre also makes it ideal for working in the extreme shallows encountered during precision littoral survey contracts. With propulsion provided by two Cummins QSC 8.3 500hp engines it possesses the power and manoeuvrability needed for safe operation in confined waters. The unique Blyth hull design also ensures exceptional handling and performance at both low and high speeds and incorporates a low drag profile ensuring excellent fuel economy.

The Blyth Workcats product range is noted for its exceptional value with highly competitive purchase prices. All are built from GRP to provide strength where it is needed and valuable weight savings wherever the design permits it. Hull lamination and construction is governed by meticulous quality control so the customer can benefit from a boat that has been built to exactly meet their needs while enabling rugged strength and reinforcement to be applied wherever it is needed.

The strength yet comparatively light weight of a Blyth Workcats GRP hull also enables smaller engines to be used. This results in greater economy and higher speeds which, due to carefully designed hull profiles and chines, improve handling and sea-keeping in extreme conditions. Because GRP construction costs are significantly lower than those of metal-hulled catamarans, Blyth Workcat customers often find their budget going further than expected. This may then enable them to invest in higher specification wheelhouse technology and interior accommodation than might otherwise have been possible. It is also noted that even after many years of hard use Blyth Workcats can be maintained to keep their good looks and shrug-off minor damage so that they maintain resale value while users retain their confidence in the condition and quality of these versatile craft. The Blyth Workcats range includes 17, 14, 12 and 10-metre catamarans that are built for a wide range of applications in addition to survey work. These can include wind farm support, passenger ferries, dive support, fishing charter or any of a wide range of workboat tasks.
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Press Release, January 15, 2014; Image: blythworkcats