Further SWATH@A&R Contract
On October 08th,2009 a new order for a 25m vessel in SWATH@A&R Technology was signed by Estonian Maritime Administration. The German Shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen will deliver a Hydrographic Survey Vessel according to procurement procedure “Enhancing Maritime Safety on Estonian Waterways”, which is financed by the European Union, in 2012.
The decision for the SWATH Technology was based on the good operational experience of the German pilots. They are working for more than 10 years in the German Bight – everyday under all weather conditions. This new 25m vessel was designed in close collaboration with the Estonian Authority. Due to its unique seaworthiness living and working on the SWATH will become more comfortable for the researchers.
The Estonian Maritime Administration states:
“SWATH technology is more expensive then other existing technologies, but as it gives the necessary stability with a smaller hull length, the cost of building such a ship is comparable to the cost of building a catamaran and more economical than ordering a single-hull ship. Also, the small size of the new ship will significantly lower annual maintenance costs.”
The 25m SWATH@A&R offers accommodation and common rooms for eight persons and will feature a containerized installation for research equipment. Therefore, a flexible adaptation to further development of instrumentation can be done with low effort in short time by changing the container.
Including this order Abeking & Rasmussen has meanwhile delivered or contracted 21 SWATH vessels for customers worldwide, which prove their leadership of this sophisticated technology. The 25m vessels are the most successful SWATH vessels in the world.
