Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Kvichak Building Research Catamaran

By Mark Edward Nero

Seattle-based Vigor Kvichak Marine Industries, a subsidiary of Vigor Industrial, has been awarded a contract to design and build a 48-foot all-aluminum foil-assisted research catamaran for the King County, Wash. environmental Laboratory.

The vessel is expected to operate in Puget Sound, the Straits of Juan de Fuca and adjoining inland waterways. Its purpose is to conduct water-sampling research along with marine buoy calibration, maintenance and retrieval, tours and shoreline surveys, dive and remotely operated underwater (ROV) operations.

This will be the 13th foil-assisted catamaran Kvichak has built since 2000. Delivery is scheduled for the summer of 2016.

“King County’s environmental lab serves a mission to help protect and enhance water quality in the Puget Sound region so our citizens can continue to enjoy it for years to come,” said Keith Whittemore, Vigor’s executive vice president of business development. “That’s definitely a mission near and dear to our hearts.”

The vessel will be powered by Cummins Tier 3 engines, Hamilton waterjets and Twin Disc gears. Other features include a full-service water quality lab, chemical storage locker, 36-by-36-inch moon pool on the aft deck, AirMar weather station 200WX system, two staterooms with one berth each and full galley with settee.

Additional features include an overall length of 48 feet; a beam of 18 feet 8 inches; a HamiltonJet modular electronic control system; a marine crane with 2,200-pound capacity winch; and a Furuno NavNet navigation system.