VESSEL REVIEW | Lena Quinn – Irish owner acquires mussel harvesting catamaran

Family-owned Mulroy Bay Mussels of County Donegal in Ireland recently welcomed a new harvesting boat into service. Lena Quinn was built by Donegal-based company Seabound Engineering to a design developed by neighbouring naval architecture firm Atlantek Maritime in close consultation with Mulroy Bay Mussels co-owner Johnny Wilhare.

The newbuild has all-aluminium construction, a length of 16 metres (52 feet), a beam of 6.8 metres (22 feet), a draught of only 0.5 metre (1.6 feet), and a crew of four. The vessel adopts a double-chined displacement catamaran design while the wheelhouse is placed aft to provide 84 square metres (900 square feet) of working deck space.

The vessel itself is built to P5 licence standards while the hull was built in compliance with Lloyd’s Register rules including those for the Classification of Special Service Craft “G3 Service Group 3,” which implies use in waters no more than 150 nautical miles from the nearest refuge.

Each of the two catamaran hulls consists of four watertight compartments, while the sides of the hull feature a solid aluminium fender. The bow is fitted with two large rubber fenders.

Compact and stable harvesting platform

Seabound Engineering also supplied the vessel’s four aluminium davits, which are used for mussel harvesting. Augmenting the davits in this role is a Hydro Armor starboard crane.

The vessel utilises a ballast system with two forward and two midship tanks for lowering itself into the water prior to harvesting mussels, for improving stability when transporting deck cargo, and for assisting with heel trim during towing.

Deck and interiors laid out to enhance efficiency

Power is provided by a Scania main engine driving both the port and starboard manoeuvring thrusters via a Hydro Armor hydraulic powerpack. This configuration allows the boat to execute tighter turns even in narrow, shallow waters. The main engine room and the auxiliary engine room are placed aft at port and starboard, respectively.

Farren Electrical supplied the vessel’s electronics package, which includes an Icom radar. The helm station is slightly raised to provide the operator with a better view of the working deck forward even as cargo is being loaded.

The crew facilities include a galley, a water closet, a workbench, a sink, and storage cabinets.

Construction of Lena Quinn was supported by Bord Iascaigh Mhara, the Irish government’s seafood development agency, via grant funding totalling €330,000 (US$350,000). The vessel will be used to harvest mussels for the Irish market and for overseas customers via bulk export.