Waterwitch Delivers Workboat to Rivers Agency, Northern Ireland
April 21, 2006
The latest build from workboat builders, Liverpool Water Witch Marine & Engineering Company Limited is an 8m multi-purpose waterway maintenance craft, which was delivered to Coleraine, Northern Ireland in May.
The vessel, named Dollaghan, is the 71st of its class to be designed and built by the company, with all construction, electrics and fitting out done in-house. The versatile, heavy build vessel accommodates a crew of five and will operate on the River Bann and Lough Neigh for the Rivers Agency - Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Ireland.
One of the primary roles is a pusher craft. The Water Witch features ease of handling and excellent manoeuvrability - with the craft capable of turning 360 degrees inside her own length, along with the capability to push up to 35 tonnes minimum deadweight and a minimum bollard pull of 1.5 tonnes. Another main requirement for the vessel was a shallow draft to navigate shallow sections of the River Bann and be easily transported by road - easily done by the Water Witch, with a maximum operation draught of 0.9m and a flat keel allowing transport anywhere on a flat-bed trailer.
Main dimensions of the vessel are 8.20m LOA, breadth 2.95m and lightship displacement of 12.5 tonne. The front-end loader arm has a maximum lift capacity of 1000kg to 3.80m above the water line.
With the general purpose loader, the vessel can operate a range of attachments for lifting, personnel access, debris and aquatic weed removal. The work platform provides a safe operator access base height of 3.8m above the waterline with a safety gate, toe rail and harness points. All attachments are changed over quickly using a quick-release euro-lock system and are operated by a single lever control.
The craft is capable of dredging to a depth of 3.65m below the waterline with removable deep dig arms and a 4 in 1 bucket. The unique dredge system allows the vessel to dredge without the requirement for spud legs, and enables the operator to work without damaging sensitive clay linings.
The vessel was built to Sea Fish Industry Authority (SIFA) construction standards for fishing vessels up to 15m registered length and issued with Construction and Final Outfit Certificate. She was additionally certified to the MCA Code of Practice of Small Commercial Motor Vessels Category 3 with Survey undertaken by the Yacht Designers and Surveyors Association (YDSA).
The hull is constructed from 6mm Lloyds Grade 'A' plate with a 10mm keel and protected bottom for strength and robustness.
The engine is a Perkins 6-cylinder M185c turbo unit linked to a PRM1000D gearbox with a 3:1 reduction driving a heavy duty manganese bronze 33" diameter powerflow propeller - producing a maximum speed of 8.5 knots. The engine is cooled by a patented keel closed-cooling arrangement that also enables the craft to work in turbid/shallow waters and weed without danger of blockages.
The vessel is steered by a solenoid hand control in conjunction with a conventional wheel, both of which drive a hydraulic steering system and cylinder supplied by Wagner Engineering.
Electrics are 24v with 2 sets of 2 x 12v batteries and a change-over switch. Solar panels from Ampair Natural Energy are mounted on top of the deckhouse to keep the batteries topped up.
Pusher knees with heavy duty D section marine fenders protect the bow, whilst side mounted 8"x4" Keruing wooden fenders provide side protection - also allowing the vessel to run along quay walls. The fenders are removable for ocean shipment.
The aft deck is flat, providing an ideal working area with lashing points for stowage of cargo and a flush hatch for access to the engine. A hydraulic PTO is provided to power the customer's existing hydraulic tools and 6" hydraulic pump.
Marine environmental protection is a serious consideration for the builder. The vessel was specified with Panolin 'HLPSYNTH' biodegradable hydraulic oil, and a Wavestream 2000 bilge clean system supplied by Halyard Limited was also installed as standard to prevent any accidental oil discharge.
The steel wheelhouse is built to accommodate 5 crew, and is fitted out with heating and demisting facilities. External window guards were specifically designed to be lightweight, floatable, easily removed and storable when craft is working. A clip on Hadrian safety rail system is fitted port and starboard of wheelhouse.
Electronic equipment includes a VHF radio with DSC capability, echo sounder, compass, radio telephone, remote operated search lights, navigation lights and horn.
The vessel was equipped with all required safety equipment to MCA Category 3 (up to 20 miles to sea), including a 6 person Zodiac Life raft with hydrostatic release system.
Liverpool Water Witch built Dollaghan in 4 months for the Rivers Agency and undertook pre-delivery trials in Liverpool before being transported by low loader to Northern Ireland.