VESSEL REVIEW | Sentinel 303 – Large oil-collecting barges for British Columbia waters

ASL Shipyard in Singapore has completed construction on two oil spill response barges in a series for Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC). Designed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL), Sentinel 303 and Sentinel 304 will be delivered to WCMRC by the end of this year.

Classed by the American Bureau of Shipping, the non-self-propelled barges will join WCMRC’s fleet of pollution response vessels stationed along the south coast of British Columbia.

Each barge has an LOA of 76 metres, a moulded beam of 20 metres, a depth of 6.4 metres, a maximum draught of 4.6 metres, a gross tonnage of 2,822, and capacity for 3,785 cubic metres of recovered oil.

The accommodation spaces on each barge are outfitted to high MLC-compliant standards for a crew of up to 20 personnel. The ten double cabins are located on the accommodation deck along with the galley, a mess/lounge, and an office/control room located on the fo’c’sle deck.

The electrical plant comprises four identical Caterpillar C4.4 diesel generators, each with a power output of 118 ekW.

The aft deck is the main working deck and contains all the oil spill response equipment. The spill containment systems consist of four unsheltered booms stored in containers with hydraulic reels, current busters stored in a single container with hydraulic reels, and four containers of general-purpose boom. There is also ample storage for absorbents, mission-specific containers, general equipment, decontamination gear, dry storage, and a containerised workspace.

Two small vessel docks are stored onboard and can be deployed on port and starboard sides to allow other response vessel crews to embark/disembark to and from the response barges and facilitates the transfer of recovered oil from the response vessels to the response barge. A Desmi Terminator skimmer and hose reel allows the response barges to recover oil floating on the surface. Two mini storage barges are stowed on deck and can be deployed in the field to aid in the response.

A Norcrane fixed-boom crane with an SWL of nine tonnes at 19 metres is fitted aft to handle the above-mentioned oil spill response gear and hoses.