Macduff Ship Design is pleased to announce that the 24m Workboat, ‘Turas A Bhradain’, has been delivered to its owners Bakkafrost Scotland.  The vessel was completed by Macduff Shipyards at their yard in the Aberdeenshire and is the first of two near identical bespoke vessels being built by the yard for the business.  ‘Turas A Bhradain’ is designed as a multirole workboat with large open working deck with offset port casing for improved Starboard side access and a large forward ramp.  The layout will allow for the vessel to complete a wide range of tasks from general cargo duties through to specific aquaculture services.

The Turas a ‘Bhradain will operate across Bakkafrost Scotland’s sites on the west coast and Hebrides and has been delivered following a year-long construction period which followed a detailed design process involving the owners and operational staff, the shipyard and Macduff Ship Design.  ‘Turas a ‘Bhradain’ is constructed entirely from steel to a hard-chine, landing craft, hull form.  The final touches were completed on the vessel in July 2023 followed by final trials and delivery.  The design was a development of the highly successful ‘Helen Rice’ and ‘Geraldine Mary’ workboats designed by Macduff Ship Design.

Initially the Turas a ’Bhradain will be operate alongside Bakkafrost Scotland’s wellboats Ronja Star and Ronja Fisk, playing a key role in fish health by preparing the pens for the wellboats to carry out freshwater treatments.

The workboat is equipped with an array of equipment to allow it to operate in a range of different roles.  The main propulsion is provided by twin tier III compliant Doosan 4l 126 CAKH engines delivering 373 Kw @ 2000 rpm.  On deck there are 2 Marine Cranes to starboard both supplied by HS Marine – 1 x AK61 4E and 1 x AK30 HE3.  The engines drive 2 x 1500mm propellers supplied by Teignbridge propulsion.  These are fitted in nozzles to give excellent levels of bollard pull and there is also a stern thruster, both of which were supplied by Kort Propulsion, which when combined with the twin screw set up gives excellent low speed manoeuvrability for operations in and around the fish farm cages.

The hydraulic package also comprises 3 capstans all arranged to starboard, an Anchor windlass, hydraulic rams for operation of the bow ramp and a tow winch situated on the centre line.  Due to the offset position of the casing the winch can work both aft over a stern roller or forward over a narrow roller built into the bow ramp.

The Vessel complements its extensive deck machinery package with an impressive cargo carrying capability for a vessel of this size, being able to carry, a maximum capacity of 125 T of deck cargo and has deck fittings for 3 x 20 foot ISO containers.

Vessel particulars

Length OA: 24.0 metres

Breadth: 9.0m

Depth: 3.1m

Maximum draft: 2.25 m

Fuel Capacity: 14,000 litres

Fresh Water Capacity: 5,000 litres

Deck Cargo capacity: 125 tonnes

The vessel has two cranes: HS Marine AK 61 4E and AK30 HE3

Main engines: 2 x Doosan 4L 126 CAKH – 373 KW @ 2000 RPM Tier III