Norwegian shipbuilder Larsnes Mek Verksted AS has awarded a contract to Ålesund-based Hydroniq Coolers, who will deliver a hull-integrated seawater cooling system to a newbuild wellboat that will be built at the yard.
“Larsnes Mek will through this contract actually receive ‘Rack’ system number 100 for use as central cooling on board a ship. This is a great milestone for us, and we think it is nice that ship system number 100 goes to a shipyard that has been an important customer for many years,” said Hans Robert Almestad, vice president sales & marketing at Hydroniq Coolers.
The wellboat, NB71, is designed by Skipskompetanse AS and is number 11 in a series of vessels that have been designed by the company. The vessel will have storage capacity of 2,800 cubic metres and equipped for both open and closed transport of fish and smolt. It will be 79.27 metres long and 15 metres wide.
Hydroniq Coolers will deliver its Rack seawater cooler to the wellboat. This type of marine cooling system is integrated in the hull below the main engine room of the vessel, where it reduces temperatures in the ship’s engines and other auxiliary systems through use of seawater to avoid overheating the engine and other critical systems.
The Rack seawater cooler has proven to be well-suited on-board vessels that operate with large loads and at low speeds.
Hydroniq Coolers will manufacture and assemble the equipment at its headquarters in Aalesund, Norway, and deliver it to Larsnes Mek at Larsnes, Møre og Romsdal county.
The value of the contract has not been disclosed.
“From what we understand, this newbuild will be equipped with a propulsion system that enables zero emissions during closed transport, plus other technology to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Our Rack seawater cooler saves both space and energy, so we believe that our technology is a good match for the wellboat’s environmental and technological profile,” Almestad said.
Larsnes Mek will deliver the vessel to wellboat operator Rostein in the second quarter of 2023.
