VESSEL REVIEW | Mizuho – Harbour service boat begins operations at Japan's Sakata Port
The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has taken delivery of a new harbour service boat built by local company Kiso Shipbuilding.
Mizuho will be operated by the MLIT’s Tohoku Regional Development Bureau out of its office at the Port of Sakata in Yamagata Prefecture.
Multi-role platform for coastal waters
She will be used for supervising and inspecting construction projects related to harbour maintenance; conducting surveys and research; supporting disaster response by inspecting facilities and transporting relief supplies and personnel to affected areas; and carrying out public relations activities to help the public better understand the functions, roles and attractions of the harbour.
“Having a single vessel capable of performing multiple roles would help the MLIT reduce its operating costs,” Kiso Shipbuilding told Baird Maritime.
Onboard layout reconfigurable as needed
The all-aluminium Mizuho has an LOA of 17.5 metres (57.4 feet), a beam of 4.2 metres (14 feet), a depth of two metres (6.6 feet), a gross tonnage of 19, and space for two crewmembers and up to 23 passengers.
Comfortable airline-type seating is available inside the main cabin while benches are installed on the cabin roof and on the aft main deck for accommodating additional passengers. The interior seats can be rearranged to maximise passenger capacity (for harbour tours) or to provide as much space as possible (such as when housing rescued accident survivors).
The aft deck can also be used for the transport of supplies during emergency response operations, and the rear of the cabin roof features an awning that doubles as a take-off and landing platform for aerial drones to assist in surveillance.
The cabin interior and the aft open deck are spacious enough to permit easy movement while the cabin also features large windows suitable for harbour sightseeing tours. At the stern is a dive platform to facilitate water rescues.
Propulsion enabling high transit speeds
Power for the vessel is provided by two Yanmar 6HYP-WET main engines that each produce 423 kW (567 hp). The engines drive two Nakashima five-bladed propellers to deliver a maximum speed of 27 knots, thus making the boat ideal for responding to emergencies and performing other time-sensitive duties.
“The propulsion setup was selected by the owner,” said Kiso Shipbuilding. “The size of the hull may have been a factor in this.”
The electronics suite includes a GPS, a sonar, and a Furuno radar. Onboard appliances include a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a TV, and an air conditioner. These and all other onboard systems draw power from a Yanmar 20kVA generator.
Mizuho will be operated out of the Port of Sakata, which is located near one of Japan’s first offshore wind farms and which has become known as an alternative port of call for cruise ships visiting from overseas.
