VESSEL REVIEW | Ande – SWATH pilot boat deployed at China’s Qingdao Port

VESSEL REVIEW | Ande – SWATH pilot boat deployed at China’s Qingdao Port

PILOTAGE WEEK
Photo: Yinghui Southern Shipbuilding

China’s Yinghui Southern Shipbuilding recently handed over a new pilot boat to the Qingdao Pilot Station, which serves the Yellow Sea port of Qingdao in Shandong province. Featuring a prominent small waterplane area twin hull (SWATH) design, Ande is also notable for being the first pilot boat to be built in China to utilise such a design.

The vessel has an LOA of 27 metres, a beam of 13.6 metres, a design draught of 2.7 metres, and a speed of 20.35 knots courtesy of a Z-drive propulsion system.

Photo: Yinghui Southern Shipbuilding

The SWATH design guarantees improved seakeeping, enhanced operational flexibility, a large working deck area, and high-speed transits in significant wave heights of four metres and conditions of up to Sea State Nine, though the vessel is capable of navigating safely even under Sea State 11. Tests revealed that the hull form offered such benefits as reduced occupant fatigue, minimal roll, and low underwater noise and vibrations.

The vessel is also fitted with an all-electric gangway to provide an alternative to traditional boarding ladders, allowing pilots to safely execute transfers to a broad range of vessel types and sizes. An MOB cradle meanwhile gives the pilot boat a secondary emergency rescue capability.

Ande was built in compliance to China Classification Society rules.

Click here for more news, features, and vessel reviews as part of this month’s focus on marine pilotage operations.

Ande
SPECIFICATIONS
Type of vessel: Pilot boat
Classification: China Classification Society
Port of registry: Qingdao, China
Flag: China
Owner: Qingdao Pilot Station, China
Builder: Yinghui Southern Shipbuilding, China
Length overall: 27 metres
Beam: 13.6 metres
Draught: 2.7 metres
Maximum speed: 20.35 knots
Other deck equipment: Gangway
Safety equipment: MOB cradle
Operational area: Yellow Sea, China


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