Flagship Boat Build is Major win for Yorkshire’s Marine Economy
Parkol Marine has teamed up with North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NEIFCA) to develop a first-of-its kind new survey and patrol vessel.
Developed in partnership with leading UK naval architects Chartwell Marine, the new boat will dramatically boost the organisation’s capabilities at a crucial time for the region’s fisheries.
And it is hoped the vessel, which is yet to be named and is due to be commissioned in the Spring of 2025, will become a blueprint for fellow inshore fisheries and conservation authorities around the UK, which are facing similar challenges in conserving the nation’s marine environments and maintaining supplies of fish and shellfish.
Nine years in the planning, this will be the fourth generation of inshore fisheries patrol vessel, with a heritage going back to 1890 when the then Sea Fisheries Committee was established. The first inshore patrol boat, powered by steam, set sail in 1905.
The new boat, which will replace the current vessel North Eastern Guardian III (NEG III), marks a major milestone for North Eastern IFCA (NEIFCA) and will boast a number of firsts, combining to make it faster, more environmentally-friendly and capable of providing the kind of detailed data on the area’s marine life which has not been possible up to now. This will enable the organisation to better plot trends in marine life and strategise to protect and diversify it in the future.
Standout features of the boat include:
• An aluminium hull, making it more fuel-efficient and capable of carrying heavier cargo loads, than the existing vessel, the North Eastern Guardian III (NEG III)
• With a top speed of 20+ knots, the new build will be much more effective and efficient than NEG III and its IMO tier 3-compliant engine will generate 87 per cent less nitrous oxide emissions
• The new addition will be able to carry up to 27 tonnes of cargo, including analytical equipment, rigid inflatable craft for high-speed patrols, and confiscated stock and equipment where necessary
• A dedicated onboard wet lab will enable NEIFCA personnel, scientists and environmentalists to analyse samples in the field, forming faster, more accurate conclusions
• Built-in, high-tech acoustic equipment including multi-beam echo sensors, will provide ultra-accurate 3D images of the seabed and under-water activity, with its slow cruising capability enabling it to travel noiselessly and minimise disruption to digital image capture and marine life when assessing seabed biodiversity. Meanwhile, its sophisticated radar and plotting systems will monitor and evidence the movement of fishing vessels around prohibited areas
• Mission changeover equipment will allow the crew to switch seamlessly between patrol and survey modes, for maximum capability.
Major milestone for Parkol
The vessel will be built at Parkol’s yard in Whitby, and is the most significant example yet of our company’s diversification into working vessel and cargo ship construction, in addition to the state-of-the-art fishing vessels we built our enviable reputation on.
Sally Atkinson, our Commercial Director, added: “We’re absolutely delighted to have been granted this opportunity, which represents a number of firsts for Parkol Marine – it is the first catamaran, first Government tender that the company has won and is the first workboat of this type. It is also the first time we have worked with Chartwell Marine and their innovative style of ship design.
“The contract provides us with an opportunity to nurture homegrown skills with our existing aluminium welders/fabricators, and also to recruit dedicated aluminium specialists and an apprentice utilising our established apprenticeship programme.
“It’s also the first competitive public tender we’ve bid for and to have won it is a fantastic achievement. There is an increasing amount of optimism in the UK fishing and shipbuilding industries and we’re delighted to be part of that, working with new suppliers to increase our already-significant knowledge and experience and hopefully creating more job opportunities and further expanding our skill base.”
New patrol vessel – technical details
The Chartwell Ambitious Fishery Patrol Vessel (FPV) has been designed following an in-depth customer and stakeholder design consultation. This involved the designer working with NEIFCA, boat builders and operators of other, similar vessels, feedback from all of which has fed into the design.
The boat is to be built in accordance with UK Workboat Code Edition 2, with consideration given to UK Workboat Code Edition 3 wherever possible, and built under survey by UK certifying authority MECAL. Its hull structure is being designed in accordance with Lloyd Register LRSSC or Bureau Veritas scantling requirements.
Detailed dimensions
Length: 24.5 metres
Beam overall: 8.87 metres
Height: 8.23 metres.
