Strategic Marine launched a new industry first of class FCB with new technologies & improved design

Strategic Marine, the specialised aluminium shipbuilder headquartered in Singapore, has recently launched a new industry-first of class Fast Crew Boat (FCB) with new technologies and improved design.

Built typically for the oil and gas sector, serving as a personnel transfer vessel for offshore platforms, the new Generation 4 FCB is a brand-new design and an evolution of their previous popular Generation 3 design with enhanced features and options.

One key feature was the inclusion of a gyro-stabiliser which sits at an optimised position near the centre of the vessel. Coupled with a motion-compensated gangway, this significantly improves the safety for personnel transferring to offshore platforms and enhances the operating window of the vessel.

Mr Chan Eng Yew, CEO of Strategic Marine, said: “We identify that operators are faced with high costs due to downtimes created by bad weather conditions during their operations. Thus, we look to help set a new benchmark to the safety standards of personnel transfers while at the same time increase operability of our vessels even at unfavourable conditions.”

The vessel also incorporates key carbon reduction elements such as a hybrid technology option and a new Z bow design, which increases the efficiency of the vessel based on their operating profiles. It will be the first crew boat to feature carbon mitigation technology through a hybrid system that is developed for the Gen 4.

Additional options include semi-autonomous control, which is intended for improved communications between ship captain and gangway operators to ensure precise control during crucial operations.

This article was originally published on Marine & Industrial Report newspaper Vol 45 No.4 Issue last August 31, 2023.