A £1.6m (US$2m) pilot boat that runs off hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) has arrived at Falmouth Harbour in the UK. According to Falmouth Harbour, the vessel is one of the biggest investments by the Trust Port for almost 20 years.
The pilot boat, named Atlantic, was designed by Camarc and built by Holyhead Marine. It is to replace the 46-year-old LK Mitchell and joins Arrow – a 16.7m Halmatic-built modern pilot vessel built in 2006 – to provide Falmouth Harbour’s pilot services. As part of the Falmouth fleet, it will complete more than 1,000 boardings and landings per year within the Falmouth Harbour Pilotage Area, and operate 24/7, 365 days a year. LK Mitchell left the port in September 2024, bound for a gentler commercial role on the West Coast of Scotland in Campbeltown.
Sustainable technologies
The new vessel runs off HVO, which is up to 90% less carbon-intensive than fossil fuels. This will enable the port to reduce current Scope 1 emissions from 139 tons (based on 2022 fuel use) to around 13.9 tons per year. The vessel is fitted with twin 6-cylinder turbocharged 600hp Scania 13-liter diesel four-stroke IMO-compliant Tier III engines, giving reduced emissions with an up to 74% cut in NOX emissions, which when run on HVO reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90%. Emissions are reduced via a Tier III SCR (selective catalytic reduction) system which works by injecting a reducing agent (AdBlue/urea) into the exhaust system. This injection causes a reaction between the NOX and the agent, creating nitrogen and water.
The futureproofed design enables Falmouth Harbour to consider future propulsion and fuels – the spacious engine compartment gives plenty of working space around the machinery for ease of maintenance and a large removable engine hatch enables the engines to be lifted out of the vessel with minimum effort.
Atlantic has the Camarc refined 16.6m pilot boat hull form, developed to improve efficiency and comfort, reduce fuel consumption and enhance seakeeping capability. Atlantic is in a dedicated Pilot vessel configuration with aft wheelhouse and forward engine room. This gives her a design speed of over 22 knots, a range of over 250 nautical miles, and 30% more efficiency than her predecessor the LK Mitchell.
The vessel has a resilient mounted wheelhouse that reduces noise levels and increases comfort with modern forward-raking bonded windows for added visibility. Camarc’s Popsure fender system protects the structure against impact loads. This gives the benefit of no through hull fasteners and reduced stress on the hull. The outer tube takes any abrasion while the modular foam outer spreads any loads over a large area. The modular nature of the fender allows any damaged sections to be easily replaced.
Modernizing port operations
Holyhead won a competitive tender process among top vessel builders around the UK, with a remit to make full use of modern advances in fuel-saving technology, safety and crew welfare and to have the new 16.6m dedicated coded pilot vessel operational in 2024.
“Our pilot boat crews work throughout the year, in all weathers and conditions, to keep the Harbour open and safe to shipping and they deserve the best equipment we can buy,” said Falmouth Harbour CEO Miles Carden. “We are very excited to welcome Atlantic into our pilot fleet – she will be an incredible asset for the next 20-30 years.
“She will be one of the few Tier III-compliant pilot vessels operating in the country – with features which help Falmouth Harbour meet our sustainability targets and will run on HVO fuel as soon as her trials are complete. Atlantic’s arrival is one of the biggest events for the Harbour for a decade and one of the largest private investments in the port for a considerable period.”
“This long-awaited and incredibly important investment represents a very exciting time for us and is a statement about our confidence in the future of commercial shipping in the Harbour,” said Carden. “Atlantic’s construction is a significant step forward in technology, fuel efficiency and sustainability which will modernize Falmouth Harbour’s pilotage service, securing safe and efficient operations for the future benefit of the port and its many stakeholders. It will help make us absolutely fit for purpose to realize future opportunities around technologies such as floating offshore wind (FLOW).”
In related news, UK maritime minister Mike Kane recently announced that the UK will develop new “green shipping routes” only accessible to zero-emission vessels. Click here to read the full story.
