VESSEL REVIEW | Sea Cleaner 4, 5 & 6 – Spill response boats to be deployed in Hong Kong’s coastal waters

China’s Aulong Shipbuilding has delivered three new pollution response vessels to the Hong Kong Marine Department.

Sea Cleaner 4, Sea Cleaner 5 and Sea Cleaner 6 were designed by the Wuhan Yangtze River Shipbuilding Design Institute. The vessels' main functions include containment and cleanup of oil spills and removal of floating debris in Hong Kong coastal waters and in the Greater Bay Area between Hong Kong, Guangdong, and Macao.

Compact hulls housing hybrid propulsion

The newbuilds each have all-aluminium construction, an LOA of 26.1 metres (85.6 feet), a beam of 9.5 metres (31 feet), a draught of only 1.35 metres (4.43 feet), a depth of 3.2 metres (10 feet), and a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system that includes a lithium iron phosphate battery pack and delivers a service speed of 14.5 knots.

When the vessels are performing cleanup functions, their speed will be limited to four knots.

Three operating modes ideal for a range of speed settings

The propulsion system supplied by the China Shipbuilding Group’s 712th Research Institute has three operating modes: fast transits using only the main diesel engine, navigation using the diesel generator during spill and debris cleanup activities, and battery-only navigation for entering and leaving port.

Use of batteries will enable the vessels to navigate silently, thus ensuring compliance with the strict noise regulations at Hong Kong’s marine terminals.

An energy management system helps optimise efficiency, ensuring that each vessel consumes just the right under a range of speed settings.

The three vessels can also be utilised for oil spill containment and removal in deeper offshore waters.