Spanish yard Astilleros GONDAN has delivered of its latest construction, ‘Pole Star’, a hybrid propulsion vessel for the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), the authority responsible for managing lighthouses and buoys in Scotland and its adjacent islands, including the Isle of Man.
The new vessel, designed by OSK Design and Seaplace, has a total length of 70m and a beam of 16m, and is equipped to accommodate 26 crew members. It has three 1860kWe hybrid electric propulsion motors. It has three cranes, one of which is a 20t offshore crane with a reach of 14m, and 4644kWh of battery capacity, contributing to its energy efficiency.
With hybrid propulsion, the vessel will undertake hydrographic surveys of the seabed. In addition, it incorporates energy-efficient technologies that help to significantly reduce its carbon footprint. This vessel is said to represent a technical evolution in lighthouse and buoy management, combining sustainability and high technology to improve the safety and efficiency of operations in Scottish and Isle of Man waters.
Image: ‘Pole Star’, hybrid vessel for NLB built by Gondan (source: Astilleros Gondan)
