View non-flash version
re fitted but an important differ- nce is the extensive fire-fighting apability provided by three Skum ire monitors, two for water and one or water/foam, fed by Hidrotecar mmps. The wheelhouse is equipped with wo Racal Decca radars, Scan gyro- ompass, Robertson autopilot, Marconi Seachart echosounder and shipmate GPS. It is understood that a dozen or nore other leading European build- jrs tendered for the BP contract and ;hat price was the major factor in ;he Spanish yard winning the con- tact. Such competitiveness, however, iid not affect quality — BP is re- ported to be exceptionally pleased with its new acquisitions and the Lloyd's surveyors experienced few problems. Pedro Anduenza, Balenciaga's commercial director, explained to Maritime Reporter that considerable sums have and are being invested in upgrading the pro- duction and quality control meth- ods and systems at the yard, which was established in 1921. Meanwhile, back in Vigo, the re- nowned fishing boat builder, Factorias Vulcano, has been busy with arguably one of the most un- usual enterprises of all, having se- cured the contract to build Cape Grafton, a 244-ft. (74.4-m) lightstation tender vessel equipped to carry out a variety of construc- tion, scientific, diving, research and oceanographic functions. With a considerable navaid con- struction program to undertake on the Great Barrier Reef, the Austra- lian Maritime Safety Authority re- quired a replacement for the aging Cape Moreton and in 1992 began an extensive international search for a suitable bareboat charter, the ini- tial idea being that this would be the most economic way forward. However, in the course of this exercise, the Authority received two unsolicited offers to purchase partly constructed bankrupt stock vessels. Both were inspected and the fishing boat hull discovered at Factorias Vulcano was considered ideal for the purpose. A price was negotiated for com- pleting the vessel to the new re- quirements and the contract signed at under $15 million following as- surances from four major Austra- lian yards that they could not com- pete on either price or delivery. The need for large reserves of electrical power to supply scientific and other equipment led to the in- stallation of an unusual propulsion system. Three 930-kW Caterpillar diesel alternator sets, coupled to two 800- kW AC constant speed electric mo- tors drive the KaMeWa CP propel- ler inside a nozzle through Twin Disc type MCD 3000-3-HD modu- lated clutches. Precise propeller control even at slow speeds com- bined with a triple bladed rudder aft of the nozzle and two KaMeWa trans- verse thrusters reportedly ensure high maneuverability. Fully laden, the vessel can achieve 12 knots with a range of 14,000 miles. Cape Grafton is equipped with chemical, geological and photo- graphic laboratories, deep sea sam- pling equipment, buoy recovery and repair facilities and a fully compre- hensive complement of navigational electronics — mostly from the Furuno stable. Air conditioned accommodation is provided for 47 persons, mainly in two berth cabins with individual washrooms, although the vessel's standard crew is 16 in number. Factorias Vulcano fully emphazises its quality credentials, boasting an ISO 9001 quality assur- ance standard certificate and de- tails of a three-year modernization plan currently taking place at the 75-year-old yard. THE ELECTRONIC NAVIGATION SOFTWARE THAT CHANGES YOUR WAY To SEA. CHS Inset Seal.! - r'.uuu Depth Units 5 Metric Zoom - Normal Main | Vectors ) View ] Zoom | Range | Markers | Position | Help infonav Infonav incorporates over 100 navigational functions including route planning and monitoring, multiple hazard alarms, chart updating, voyage recording & replay, range & bearing cal- culations, vector object overlays, target tracking, and much more. The vessel's position, course and speed information (from LORAN, GPS or DGPS ) is updated every second and overlaid on the digital chart. The full colour digital charts give you the "look and feel" of traditional paper charts. Infonav complies with Draft 2 of the RTCM SC-109 Standard for Electronic Chart Systems. The system operates on a standard personal computer and can accept input from a wide variety of sensors. Users include military, coast guard, commercial vessels, and maritime colleges. Infonav'S multimedia capability gives instant access to many types of navigation, text, video and audio information. Infonav can be configured as a passenger and crew infor- mation system. Multi-mission applications include: Precise Navigation • Tracking & Surveillance • Science • Passenger Information Matrix Technologies is based in North America's oldest seaport: St. John's, Newfoundland. We design and manufacture solutions for advanced marine applications. To receive our FREE 1994 Product Catalog contact: MATRIX TECHNOLOGIES INC. NAVIGATION SYSTEMS GROUP BOX 188, ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND CANADA A1C5J2 ™.709*754®0305 PAX709*754*0705 Infonav is a registered trademark of Matrix Technologies Inc. ©1994 All rights reserved. Circle 275 on Reader Service Card October, 1994 15
