Damen Unveils Fish-farming Workboat

Damen Shipyards Group has unveiled its new Utility Vessel 2613 workboat geared for the aquaculture industry.

The Damen UV 2613 draws upon other vessels from the shipyard’s portfolio, such as the Multi Cat and Shoalbuster, to deliver versatility to the fish-farming sector, with a work scope that covers everything from harvesting to net cleaning and diving support to de-licing.

Damen Sales Manager Mike Besijn said, “We are very confident in the relevance of the UV 2613 for the growing aquaculture industry. Based on feedback we received from the market we have designed a versatile vessel, able to tackle a very wide range of duties, with a robust application of features ensuring the safety and sustainability of operations. We have already carried out the feasibility studies and completed the detailed engineering of the design – we’re ready to build this.

The UV 2613 is a forward-facing vessel, with sustainable characteristics, Damen said. The vessel is, for example, prepared for IMO Tier III. The vessel comes ready for the installation of a Damen NOX Reduction System – selective catalytic conversion technology that can be easily installed during construction or as a retrofit, making the vessel Tier III compliant. The vessel can also be fitted with battery packs for silent shift operations.

Lots of plug and play options allow the vessel to be switched quickly from one duty to another, the builder noted. The UV 2613 can be installed with DP1, a multiple mooring system and a towing winch for example. It can even be fitted with a ramp in order to perform ferry duties if required.

A 85-square-meter cargo hold facilitates harvesting as well as dry cargo transportation and storage of diving equipment. The vessel’s deck is over 110 square meters. The vessel can be fitted with multiple cranes with capacity up to 220 metric tons per meter.

The vessel features a high bow height and freeboard of 1 meter minimum to avoid deck immersion and safe sailing, even in heavy seas. Additionally, with a beam of 12.8 meters, the vessel is extremely stable, with no need for an anti-heeling system. While the UV 2613 is 26 meters in length overall, its load line length is 24 meters and the vessel is also below 200 gross tons (MCA). The vessel is equipped with azimuth thrusters and a bow thruster.