Australian shipbuilder Austal has delivered its second high-speed crew transfer vessel this year, to Swire Pacific Offshore (SPO).
The 57.6-meter, all-aluminium catamaran was designed by Incat Crowther and constructed by Austal’s shipyard in the Philippines. It is the fourth offshore crew transfer vessel delivered by Austal in the past 15 months.
The 40 knot ‘Offshore Express 57’ Large Crew Transfer Vessel (LCTV), named Pacific Kestrel, is capable of transporting 90 people to offshore platforms up to Sea State 6 (defined as Very Rough conditions with wave heights between 4 to 6m).
The Pacific Kestrel features an Ampelmann motion-compensated “walk-to-work” (W2W) gangway that enables the transfer of personnel to offshore platforms.
In addition to 200 square-meter cargo deck allowing up to 100 tonnes of cargo to be transported, the vessel also has Search and Rescue capability (SAR), with an on-board Fast Rescue Craft (FRC) available for rapid deployment and a chemical dispersant adding oil-spill ‘first response’ capability.