VESSEL REVIEW | Lymaret II – Compact hybrid training boat for French maritime school

French naval architecture firm Coprexma and shipbuilder the Chantier Bretagne Sud Group have handed over a new training vessel to the Lycee Professionnel Maritime et Aquacole d'Etel (LYMARET), a maritime high school in Etel in France’s Brittany region.

The all-aluminium Lymaret II has an LOA of 11.98 metres (39.3 feet), a beam of five metres (16 feet), and a 184kW hybrid electric propulsion arrangement that will draw power from a battery pack and onboard solar panels.

Utilising a proven fishing vessel design

The training vessel utilises a design that was originally intended for use by fishing vessels but has been extensively modified. The most significant changes are in the spaces previously allotted for the hold and the live tanks, as these spaces now house cabins and other accommodation areas to enable extended stays out at sea.

The vessel was designed to be capable of sailing for up to three hours when cruising at five knots in fully electric mode. Low-speed electric sailing will be utilised in port while the main engine will enable fast transits.

Fitted with onboard training facilities

The propulsion setup will also be used for training, particularly in instructing maritime students on maintenance of marine engines and electrical systems. The engine compartment has been laid out to provide as much space as possible to allow maintenance and instruction to be undertaken even when personnel are standing at full height.

Onboard facilities include berths for both students and instructors, showers, a mess, and a classroom. The wheelhouse electronics meanwhile include a Furuno radar.

Construction of Lymaret II was partly financed by the French Government as part of its recovery plan covering fisheries and aquaculture.

The vessel replaces Lymaret I, LYMARET’s existing nine-metre training vessel that was completed in 2001.