70 metre Fast Crew Boat delivered by Incat

The latest vessel to appear from the Incat yard in Hobart is a 70 metre Fast Crew Boat (FCB).

At a ceremony at the Tasmanian shipyard the Muslim Magomayev was named in honour of Azerbaijan’s famous opera and popular music singer Muslim Magomayev who died in 2008. Magomayev was a renowned entertainer not just in Azerbaijan but all the former Soviet states, often dubbed as their answer to Sinatra.

This is the first vessel that Incat has purpose built for the oil and gas industry. After sea trials the vessel was slated to leave for Baku, Azerbaijan. The first of type DP2 class vessel was by Caspian Marine Services to operate fast crew transfers for 150 offshore workers to multiple installations in the Caspian Sea. The high speed of the 70 metre FCB will allow operational efficiency over helicopter transfer for both passengers and cargo, whilst the semi-SWATH hull design, along with active ride control, will reduce stress on passengers so they arrive at an oil platform relaxed and fit to work.

Photo: The Muslim Magomayev at Hobart, Tasmania. (c) Rex Cox

The Muslim Magomayev has approximately 200 tonnes deadweight and is capable of carrying 150 passengers and 14 crew, along with 130 tonnes of deck cargo, in up to 40 knot wind and seas of 3m signifi cant wave height. The 275 square metre cargo deck will allow the vessel to complete cargo hot shots over a range of 400 nm at speeds of up to 35 knots.

Passengers are accommodated on both the main and mid-deck, the main deck also housing two VIP rooms, storage areas and an equipped workshop, while crew cabins and galley are on the mid-deck.

The vessel’s 16 metre beam is far narrower than is usual for an Incat catamaran but determined by the width of the Volga-Don Canal that it must transit on its delivery from Hobart, Tasmania to Baku in Azerbaijan. Speaking at the ceremony the Managing Director of Caspian Marine Services, Mr Zamig Ismayilov said “We had heard a lot about the quality of the Incat ships before we came to Tasmania, and now that we have seen the finished ship we are very pleased that we decided on Incat, the Muslim Magomayev they have built for us will be the best vessel of its type in the Caspian Sea.”

“Everyone in the industry knows that shipbuilders don’t deliver on time, but Incat has and CMS are very happy that we are taking delivery of our boat not just on time, but looking and performing very well. I was surprised on the sea trial that we were moving and I hadn’t even heard the engines start so not only will it carry all that is required, it is fast, quiet and comfortable.”

Incat Chairman Robert Clifford said “we believe this fast crew boat will generate a great deal of interest in the global oil and gas industry. It will pave the way for future orders for similar vessels as operators can take up an alternate to the very expensive option of helo transfers.”