The latest new generation of Seaward Nelson 42 pilot boats has completed trials in the Isle of Wight, in the United Kingdom.
The vessel 'Almaciga P.' was built to comply with the Spanish Regulatory Authorities for Pilot Boats' requirements and the Lloyds Register survey for the GRP construction certificate.
The new vessel is destined for the Port of Santa Cruz in Tenerife on the Canary Islands, Spain.
The vessel is based on the Nelson 42 hull with Seaward's new design deck, with a mounted wheelhouse that has been designed to reduce noise levels for crew and passengers. The wheelhouse is a watertight module sitting over a watertight self-draining well in the deck moulding, which provides two structural barriers to reduce noise.
Compared to the Nelson 40 the new generation has greater beam/length ratio resulting from larger engines, a higher fuel capacity of up to 2,600 litres and a larger resilient mounted wheelhouse to carry up to eight people.
The owners chose the option of a pair of in-line six-cylinder MAN D2866LXE40 engines, rated 279bkW at 1,800rpm, driving 710mm four-blade propellers via Twin Disc MG 5114A 1.48:1 reduction gearboxes and conventional shaft drives.
Part of the owners' design brief was to ensure the vessel was built with an engine room ventilation system suitable for the local climate and capable of preventing salt spray entering the machinery space. For this requirement, Seaward chose the Premaberg louvered vent system whereby water droplets are separated from the airflow and directed downwards and back out through built in drain channels. Seaward fitted a secondary baffle within a self-draining trunking located between the Premaberg vents and the machinery space.
The secondary trunking has the effect of directing the spray free air entering the engine room downwards towards the engine air intakes. Further airflow circulation is by way of a pair of Elta 250mm diameter extraction fans exhausting through Premaberg outlet grilles.
Fuel oil is carried in a pair of 1,300-litre integrally moulded keel tanks – one forward and one aft. These tanks extend from the forward store to the aft end of the void space. The arrangement maintains an even weight distribution and running trim whether the tanks are near full or at low levels whilst keeping the centre of gravity as low as possible.
Steering is the mechanical torque tube type by Whitlock connected to large cast nickel aluminium bronze airfoil section rudders providing good directional stability in following sea conditions.