Elite Marine has recently delivered the 'Necede' to Western Australian marine services provider Hedland Launch Service.
A spiritual sister ship to the previous Elite line boats – albeit with a few added features and modifications – the 'Necede' measures 17.35 metres in length overall, with a beam of six metres and a draught of 0.9 metres. Designed to DNV and Australia's NSCV survey, 'Necede' retains a largely similar physical footprint to previous Elite line boats, though features a larger space inside the cabin.
This same consistency is found within the engine house, with twin Caterpillar engines driving HamiltonJet HJ403 waterjets via ZF gearboxes. With the aid of HamiltonJet's Blue Arrow electronic control system, the vessel attains a top speed of 26 knots, a cruising speed of 20 knots, and has a range of 480 nautical miles, and the engine room features the same unparalleled safety enhancements during start-up.
According to Elite Marine director Brett Sullivan, the 'Necede' primarily differs from previous iterations of the Elite line boat formula by the inclusion of crew transfer equipment inside the vessel cabin, as well as NSCV certification permitting extra passengers – either 18+2 in 1B or 38+2 in 1E.
Additionally, crew accommodation for two has been installed in the vessel's starboard hull, and a moon pool has been added to facilitate survey and hydrographic operations.
Retaining all the flexibility and multi-purpose capabilities of her predecessors, Brett Sullivan noted that Hedland Launch would mainly use 'Necede' for crew and pilot transfer operations from the inner and outer harbours of Port Hedland. Not straying too far from the power catamaran concept's core strengths, however, she will also excel during line handling and pilot transfer services, and will also be capable of moonlighting as a response vessel.
NECEDE from Myriad Images on Vimeo.
