AWARDS 2022 | Best OSV – Logistics Craft – Sora 1 – Lita Ocean

Best OSV – Logistics Craft – Sora 1 – Lita Ocean

Lita Ocean of Singapore has built seemingly hundreds of crew supply, patrol, and harbour vessels. Slated for a Qatari owner, this vessel is an excellent example of the refinement that comes from many years of building such craft.

“It is a heavy-duty, efficient, and highly versatile vessel,” Lita Ocean told Baird Maritime. “It has a very large aft deck space with a high deck loading capacity. Other versions of the same hull design have also been used for diving support with space for a containerised diving chamber and a sizeable knuckle boom crane.”

The builder added that the vessel is notable for having a separate raised bridge that allows the crew to have enhanced visibility from the helm station for improved safe manoeuvring.

“The push towards environmental sustainability in the industry impacts shipbuilding the most at the moment and in the foreseeable future,” Lita Ocean continued. “Greener forms of vessel propulsion are a technological disruption but are also a key driver in industry innovations. Shipyards must keep abreast or ahead of the latest technological advancements in this area ad work towards offering their customers innovative, alternative propulsion solutions specific to their needs, while at the same time ensuring that there is a business case for doing so.”

The builder added that shipyards have to work towards re-skilling, and redesigning the jobs of their existing workforce to enable them to be effective in a transformed technological landscape.

Lita Ocean notes that, as regards sustainability, Singapore has set out clear targets in its decarbonisation efforts. For example, the country’s government has set the target for the harbour craft and pleasure craft sectors to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 in support of the 2050 national net-zero target. To achieve this transition, from 2030, all new harbour craft operating in Singapore’s port waters must be fully electric, be capable of using B100 biofuel, or be compatible with net-zero fuels such as hydrogen.

“We are an early adopter of green propulsion technologies,” the company told Baird Maritime. “In 2021, we delivered our first full electric catamaran craft used for VIP tours in the Tengeh Floating Solar Farm in Singapore. In 2022, we delivered two units of fully electric catamaran flotsam craft used for river cleaning. This year, we will be delivering one 35-metre, LNG-diesel hybrid hydrographic vessel to the government of Singapore. We are also in the middle of constructing Singapore’s first full electric cargo vessel – a 18-metre catamaran with swappable batteries.”

The company has also made progress in reducing its carbon footprint in its production processes. In early 2022, more than 700 solar panels were installed on both production workshops, generating enough solar power to cover 50 to 70 per cent of day-time electrical consumption. This has significantly lowered the company’s dependence on grid electricity and reduced carbon emissions from its activities.

“Post-Covid, we have seen a stronger demand in the marine and offshore industry, leading to an increased demand for new vessels. We currently have 13 vessels under construction and we are looking to deliver eight vessels in 2023. This includes the LNG-diesel hybrid hydrographic vessel I mentioned earlier. This is set for delivery in April, and it is by far our most technically challenging build to date.”

The company expects more orders this year, which will result in full orderbooks through to 2025.

“Even though there is a strong demand for vessels,” Lita Ocean continued, “issues such as global supply chain problems, fluctuating material and equipment costs, and a tight labour market will continue to put shipyards under pressure in the short to medium term.”

For a list of the 2022 “Best Of” award winners, please click here.