VESSEL REVIEW | Grønarók – Electric catamaran workboat for Faroese fish farming company

Faroe Islands-based salmon farming company Bakkafrost has taken delivery of an electric catamaran workboat that will support offshore aquaculture activities near the capital city of Torshavn.

Gronarok was built by local shipyard MEST as part of a pilot project to assess the viability of providing green electricity as power for marine transport. The workboat is therefore designed to be capable of continuous operations during daylight hours whereas nighttime will be allotted for quayside charging of its onboard batteries.

The design chosen for the new vessel is an existing MEST catamaran workboat with an LOA of 15.34 metres, a moulded beam of eight metres, a depth of 2.5 metres, and a deadweight of approximately 40 tonnes. The use of the catamaran arrangement allows for a wider beam relative to the LOA, thus providing up to two times available deck space compared to workboats of similar length that are currently operating in Faroese waters.

The hull is made from steel whereas the pilothouse is made from alumininum. MEST said the combination of the two materials ensures that the vessel is durable enough yet still boast lower maintenance requirements compared to contemporary workboats. The vessel is therefore able to withstand harsh weather conditions.

The electric propulsion allows the vessel to reach speeds of up to 12 knots even while carrying a payload totalling 33.5 tonnes. A 37kW bow thruster meanwhile provides added lateral manoeuvrability.

Installed on the aft deck is a Melcal knuckle boom crane. The other deck equipment includes three capstans and a 15-tonne winch.

The electronics suite includes a radar and GPS from Garmin, a Furuno compass and displays, an ICOM VHF radio, McMurdo EPIRB and SART, and a Simrad autopilot.