CASE STUDY
The recent launch of navy tug ‘Bolko’ (B860/1) marks an important milestone in NED-Project’s history of delivering modern and reliable workboat designs. It is the first in a series of six on an order from the Ministry of Defence, built in Remontowa Shipbuilding and also first developed with the help of innovative implementation of enhanced reality design tools.
TUG & WORKBOAT EXPERTISE
NED-Project is a multi-discipline design office with significant experience in the design of high ice-class tugs, fishing vessels, and cruise ships. It is defined by a unique mix of experience, tradition and novel approach to design, all reflected best in its latest deliveries.
EARLIER WORK
‘Centaur II’ & ‘Virtus'
Company’s earlier designs include 2007 and 2008 deliveries of ‘Centaur II’ (ASD type) and ‘Virtus’ (tractor type) tugs for ports of Gdynia and Gdańsk, respectively. These 30 m ice-class tugs with bollard pull of 35 / 45 T had vastly different stern area hull shapes between them, optimized according to corresponding thrusters location, which for tractor type design was slightly forward of vessel’s midship.
P104 & P115
NED-Project followed up on experience from previous projects through collaboration with a far East Russia shipyard in Vladivostok, delivering an ARC-4 high ice-class tug Class design. Moreover, the company helped in establishing a design office within the local shipyard and passed on the competencies to deliver workshop documentation and even further develop the P104 design. P115 was a subsequent iteration of a tug vessel by NED-Project, designed in close cooperation with a Japanese engine manufacturer and optimized through a series of basin tests at a hydrodynamics research center. The hull shape and design of this large tug were still unused and remain as property of NED-Project.
Arctia
Innovative high ice-class tug Arctia (40 m) was developed for an unconcluded Finnish tender in 2012. However, NED-Project was so satisfied with the end product and novel design that it kept it in its portfolio ever since. Who knows, with the changing climate we might see a resurgence of interest into high ice-class tug designs, especially with growing importance of ports in polar/arctic regions and more frequent navigability through North-East passage.
LATEST UNDERTAKINGS
Navy Tug ‘Bolko’
The aforementioned launch is another milestone in the execution of the agreement, which the Armament Inspectorate of MoD signed in June 2017 with Remontowa Shipbuilding as a result of tender allotment: Technical support and rescue operations at sea, code name “Tug”. The first tug is scheduled for delivery in 2019, with the remaining units to be delivered by the end of 2020. The multi-role tugs will be used for military and logistics operations support at sea and in ports, firefighting operations, technical evacuation operations, search and rescue operations support as well as oil spills recovery. The ice-class will enable the tugs to be operated in tough winter conditions. The vessels will feature bollard pull up to 35 T and excellent maneuverability due to outfitting with twin azimuth stern drives. The open deck crane will enable the carrying of cargoes up to 4 t.
During the early stage of the B860 35T Navy Tug design, NED-Project began the translation of the BIM models into VR environments. Detailed designs of the wheelhouse and engine room were provided to navy officials, creating a comprehensive platform for discussion on particular technical solutions with the design team.
Icebreakers for inland water management
As a part of a nationwide initiative to replace the country’s outdated fleet of river icebreakers, in 2018 NED-Project has also taken on a contract to design two distinct icebreakers for the local inland water management authority. The contract includes basic to workshop design of a lead icebreaker (33.40 m) and three-line icebreakers (28.05 m) equipped with 1044 kW and 600 kW direct-drive diesel engines, providing a bollard pull of 10 and 6 tonnes respectively. Both vessels will be classified not only as icebreakers but also as tugs and will have oil spill control capabilities. They will provide for a six-person crew and have autonomy for a 48 hour work period. They will be launched in 2019.
FUTURE WORK AND CONCEPTS
The company is also looking into expanding its portfolio into small crafts such as pilot vessels etc. Following the client’s inquiries, NED-Project has developed the 14,7m pilot boat concept design to serve the ports in Gdańsk and Gdynia, expanding its expertise into the planning craft sector. The vessel will be able to transfer up to 6 pilots at a maximum speed of 25 knots and will be designed to basic ice-class requirements. Consulting current crew working on similar vessels has allowed to come up with a design optimized for the cost-effectiveness, maintainability and most importantly the safety of the pilots. CFD optimization was implemented in order to ensure high performance of the hull form and, once again, VR technology was used in order to provide crew-friendly accommodation solutions.