VESSEL REVIEW | Castalia – Electric harbour workboat for Spain’s Consulmar

Spanish port services provider the Consulmar Group has begun operating a new harbour workboat powered entirely by batteries.

Castalia was designed by Spanish naval architecture firm Seaplace and built by compatriot shipyard SYM Naval to perform duties that include pollution control, mooring/unmooring assistance, and transport of personnel and cargo. The vessel has a length of 12.5 metres, a beam of five metres, and capacity for up to 40 tonnes of assorted payloads. Space is available for 12 passengers as well as a 30-cubic-metre tank for the storage of liquid waste collected by the vessel.

The deck layout is almost entirely open without any perimeter handrails to allow boarding and disembarkation at any point along the main deck. Smaller safety rails are nonetheless fitted on the wheelhouse exterior and on the fore and aft decks to provide safety for personnel during transfers while still keeping the main deck free of obstructions.

A 484kWh battery pack supplies power to two 150kW motors to propel Castalia to speeds of up to seven knots. The batteries are charged via shore facilities fitted with photovoltaic panels, allowing the vessel to run entirely on renewable electricity. A full charge of the batteries will yield a maximum operating endurance of 10 hours.

The workboat also incorporates a Sedni digitisation system that allows for remote monitoring. This system allows the vessel to ascertain its position at any time within the waters of the Port of Castellon, where it will operate primarily. Included in the system are two interfaces displaying propulsion and battery condition data.

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