Page 26: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 1998)

NEW & NOTABLE

GKN Provides Canadian Coast

Guard With Innovative Hovercraft

GKN Westland Aerospace recently delivered the first of a new type of hovercraft to the

Canadian Coast Guard. Dash 400 is the first in a series of two vessels based on the AP1-88 design. The new vessel measures 93.5 ft. (28.5 m) in length and is capable of carrying a payload in excess of 20 tons. Dash 400 is pow- ered by four Caterpillar 3412 TTW water- cooled diesel engines, each developing 671 kW. Two of the engines are used for lift and two for propulsion.

GKN Westland is responsible for the design and project management of the two-craft con- tract. Construction was sub-contracted to

Hike Metal Products. The first vessel will join the existing AP1-88 well deck craft on the

St. Lawrence Seaway. The second, due for delivery this month, will join the exsiting

SRN6 hovercraft servicing the Vancouver area. GKN hovercraft are currently in service in Alaska, South America, the U.K., Russia and the Middle East.

Circle 42 on Reader Service Card

Cable and Wireless Adventure, a unique, 115- ft. (35-m) stabilized mono-hulled powerboat, will attempt to complete the 26,000 mile cir- cumnavigation of the globe in less than 75 days.

Having set sail from Girbraltar on April 19, the vessel will follow a mainly equatorial route with ports of call in Monte Carlo, Port Said,

The Maldives, Singapore, Hong Kong,

Yokohama, Honolulu, San Diego, Panama,

Jamaica, Miami, New York and returning to

Gibraltar.

The vessel is made from the latest composite glass reinforced polymer/foam sandwich con- struction and equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and communications equipment.

Cable and Wireless Adventure was built in

Southampton by Vosper Thorneycroft, and is a development of a smaller prototype vessel,

Llan Voyager, which broke the "Round Britain" power boat record in 1989. Both vessels were designed by Nigel Irens.

The challenge placed upon builder and designer was to produce a vessel capable of beating the existing record of circumnavigation (83 days by USS Triton in 1960), while capable of achieving a range in excess of 4,000 miles.

The new vessel is also leading in its potential for fuel efficiency. The narrow hull design cuts through waves and decreases drag, allowing the vessel to use proportionately less fuel than a traditionally designed vessel achieving a sim- ilar speed and range.

BP Marine will be a major technical sponsor of Cable and Wireless Adventure's circumnavi- gational attempt by providing a complete range of lubricants and technical support for the ves- sel, as well as coordinating the delivery of fuel required for the vessel during its journey. BP will supply products from its Energol, Vanellus and Bartran series including products ranging from lubricants in the main engine to the oil for the ouboard motor on the boat's dinghy.

Circle 45 on Reader Service Card

Alabama Shipyard Makes

Monumental Delivery

The first of two chemical tankers built for

Dannebrog Rederi AS has been delivered by

Atlantic Marine subsidiary Alabama Shipyard, representing the completion of the first self-pro- pelled, ocean-going vessel built for export by an

American shipyard in more than 40 years.

Built under a Title XI loan guarantee, the new vessel, dubbed Amalienborg, is a 16,000 DWT

IMO chemical carrier and is built in accordance with OPA 90 regulations. Designed by its owner, the single screw vessel features a single deck and a double hull, and contains 12 epoxy- coated cargo tanks.

Main and auxiliary power plants were provid- ed by Wartsila. The populsion system consists of a 4,800 kW diesel engine driving a four-blade

Kamewa controllable pitch propeller through a

Valmet reduction gear. A single 588 kW hydraulically driven Kamewa bowthruster enhances maneuverability. The vessel is classed to LR +100A1 specifications, and will be manned by a crew of 18, with accommodations for 20 persons.

Circle 46 on Reader Service Card (Continued on page 28) 26

Cable and Wireless Adventure

Main Particulars

Length, o.o 115 ft. (35 m)

Beom 113.2 ft. (34.5 m)

Draft 4.4 ft. (1.3 m)

Displacement 41 tons

Engines (2) Cummins Marine tturbo-diesels

Range > 3,500 nm

Service life 20 yeors

Port of Registry London, U.K.

Fuel 12-ton max.