Vessel built at Coastal Workboats Scotland.
In a press release, Damen Shipyards writes that it has delivered the first of its new aquaculture support vessels.
The Landing Utility Vessel “LUV 1908” is a larger version of the “LUV 1608”, the first example of which entered service in August 2019. Like the LUV 1608, the larger version has been built at Coastal Workboats Scotland, with full Damen support. Damen has also provided financing for the vessel.
Isle of Skye
The owner of the first vessel is Organic Sea Harvest, a new salmon farmer operating on the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. Their “LUV 1908” will ultimately support a total of four individual fish farms, all off the north east coast of Skye.
The LUV 1908 is 19 metres in length and 7.5 metres and across it has a total of 100m² of unobstructed deck space rated at 2.5 tonnes per m². In total, the vessel can carry 40 tonnes of cargo and also has day accommodation for up to eight people. This includes a toilet, drying locker, pantry/ mess room and an off-watch seating area and navigation console in the wheelhouse.
The design has been engineered by Damen’s design bureau OSD-IMT to allow it to carry out a wide range of support tasks for the aquaculture industry. These include the transportation of people, equipment, feed and other dry cargo to offshore fish-farming locations with loading and unloading taking place either by RoRo direct to the shore or by using the deck crane.
“LUV 1908”
The first “LUV 1908″ is fitted with an HS Marine AK 72/26 E4 fully foldable and telescopic boom type crane.
CEO Organic Sea Harvest Ove Thu said that “both Damen and Coastal Workboats Scotland have been very supportive during the construction of our vessel”.
“During the construction, builders allowed us to fit the vessel with a range of equipment, helping us get her ready for our distinct scope of work. This proved very helpful, as it resulted in the vessel being ready for operation immediately upon delivery,” he said.
Built it in the UK
Damen sales manager Mike Besijn said that he delighted that the “LUV 1908” meets all Organic Sea Harvest’s needs.
“We are very pleased to have built it in the UK. The aquaculture sector is an important market for Damen and we have developed good relationships with its participants. Our decision to build vessels for stock so that we can respond quickly to their needs demonstrates the confidence that we have in its long-term prospects,” added Besijn.
