Macduff Shipyards Limited has recently completed its most prestigious order to date, with the handing over of the fisheries research vessel "Alba Na Mara".
The 27m steel vessel was built for the Fisheries Research Services, an agency of the Scottish Executive, to replace FRV "Clupea".
The vessel will carry out inshore research, surveys and monitoring work to underpin advice given to government in relation to Scotland's fisheries and aquaculture sectors. It is equipped with a sophisticated range of deck machinery and electronics to allow a wide range of fishing and environmental sampling operations to be carried out, and will carry 15 personnel for up to 14 days.
It has been designed as a research vessel suitable for fisheries research, single, twin, pelagic/demersal/trawling and scallop dredging, hydrographic sampling, surveying and camera work. The area of operation is to cover the whole of the British Isles.
The vessel will be operated in all seasons, and to facilitate scientific operation the sea keeping properties and stability have been optimised to provide a safe working platform in conditions up to Beaufort Force 6.
"Alba Na Mara" has been designed with a round bilge hull form, with bulbous bow, transom stern and ballast keel. The hull and three-quarter length upper deck are constructed in steel, and the wheelhouse constructed in marine grade aluminium alloy.
The vessel was built entirely at Macduff, with the steel kit being produced by the yard's profiling division. The project was managed by Macduff Ship Design Limited. The vessel will be based in Fraserburgh.
