Goodchild will construct hybrid pilot vessels to strenghten UK air quality strategy
Type ORC 136.HY vessel for the Port of London Authority (Illustration: Goodchild Marine Services)
The two 13.6m pilot vessels for Briggs Marine are of type ORC designed by naval architects Pantocarene. They will have Volvo engines provided by Volspec Limited, based in Essex. The vessels will include an iRAMS vessel engine and asset management system, with a real-time monitor and satellite feed. They will be used in the port of Liverpool. Meanwhile, the Port of London Authority (PLA) has ordered one of the UK’s first hybrid-powered pilot boats from Goodchild Marine. The type ORC 136.HY vessel will combine both diesel and electric power and has been designed to be completely emission-free when operating in electric mode. The PLA has placed the order as it starts to deliver on the commitments in its recently published Air Quality Strategy for the river Thames. Goodchild Marine is partnering with EP Barrus for supply of the Yanmar engines, and transmission specialists Marine and Industrial Transmissions Limited for the Transfluid Hybrid system. The new hybrid vessel is due for delivery in spring 2019.
