VESSEL REVIEW | O'Chaud – Compact, agile electric workboat to serve France's La Rochelle Port
The Port of La Rochelle on France's Bay of Biscay coast recently placed a new fully electric service vessel into operation.
Capable of winter operations, O’Chaud was designed by local naval architecture firm Armor-X. Construction of her hull was undertaken at the Quimperlé facilities of Laïta Sailing.
As the workboat measures only 5.8 by 2.25 metres (19 by 7.38 feet), her compact size and rounded bow allow her to manoeuvre easily in the tight spaces typical of a busy marina and harbour. Her semi-enclosed wheelhouse protects the helm operator from the elements during winter while a self-draining deck enhances safety.
“The brief called for a compact, highly manoeuvrable port service craft able to operate safely in the confined waters of the marina and harbour, while carrying out the port's routine duties — mooring assistance, towing, and the transfer of personnel and equipment — without the noise or exhaust emissions of a conventional diesel workboat,” Yannick Bian, CEO of Armor-X, told Baird Maritime.
Her other daily duties include surveying/monitoring of the waterway, general port interventions, coming alongside port infrastructure, and day-to-day port manoeuvres.
Stable port service platform
O’Chaud is built in aluminium on Armor-X's own "gull-wing" hull, which was developed to deliver improved stability both at rest and underway in the confined waters of harbours and marinas. The 100 per cent electric propulsion meanwhile ensures she can operate silently and without emissions.
“Her propulsion setup consists of an EPropulsion X20 outboard motor rated at 20 kW and fed by a battery pack in the region of 20 kWh supplied by Switch,” said Bian. “The X20 is a zero-emission electric outboard with a claimed efficiency of 88.2 per cent, combining a compact, fully integrated design with electric steering, driver-assistance functions and connectivity services — features more commonly associated with electric road vehicles than with workboats.”
Wheelhouse layout emphasising ease of operation and movement
The vessel boasts a simple and robust marine grade navigation package consisting of a chartplotter with GPS, an echosounder, and a VHF radio. Bian said the package was deliberately kept straightforward given the vessel's tight operating radius within port limits.
The onboard electronics were chosen to complement the electric powertrain rather than compete with it for space or power budget, with the EPropulsion system's own connectivity features providing real-time visibility of battery state and remaining range directly to the helm.
The layout meanwhile includes a helm station with seating for two and a storage locker doubling as battery access.
The storage locker is designed to also provide direct access to the battery compartment, keeping servicing straightforward without giving up usable deck space.
“Rather than having a multi-purpose fit-out, O'Chaud was kept deliberately simple and mission-specific,” said Bian. “The same approach is being applied to a second electric vessel currently being built for another customer, and the yard has recently received further orders from two other operators, confirming a growing appetite for electric service and survey vessels along the French coast.”
A balance between ample battery power and low displacement
For Bian, the main challenge encountered during the design of O’Chaud lay in integrating the battery pack while keeping the vessel's weight correctly distributed, particularly given the shallow maximum draught of 0.39 metre (1.3 feet).
“The team had to strike the right balance between a hull that was both shallow and light enough for easy port manoeuvring, and stable enough to carry the added weight of the electric powertrain — ultimately adapting Armor-X's gull-wing hull to suit fully electric propulsion,” he told Baird Maritime.
Another aspect that proved challenging according to Bian was related to Armor-X having to coordinate closely with Laïta Sailing, despite the geographical separation, to ensure the electric powertrain — the motor, the battery pack, and the associated wiring — was integrated cleanly within the aluminium hull from the outset, rather than retrofitted.
“O'Chaud gave Armor-X hands-on experience integrating the latest generation of marine battery technology into a working hull — knowledge the team is now carrying forward into its next project, an electric vessel being developed for a local university for scientific missions such as diving, sampling, and drone operations.
