Rescue boat handling systems ordered for Canadian icebreakers

Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is building six multipurpose icebreaking vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard to support shipping and provide emergency response in the Arctic.

Canadian Coast Guard has options at the shipyard for constructing up to 10 more icebreakers.

Seaspan has ordered handling systems for each of these confirmed newbuildings to safely launch and recover boats in rough sea conditions. These vessels are being built to operate year-round on Canada’s seaboards to support icebreaking in moderate conditions, maritime search and rescue, scientific research, environmental response, emergency towing, maintain and deploy buoys, as well as support for offshore fisheries patrols.

Norway-based Vestdavit was contracted to supply six FF-15000 davit systems, one for each vessel, in a contract that it said is its biggest-ever order. A hydraulically operated FF-15000 is based on the F-frame system with no structure behind or underneath the daughter craft. Vestdavit said this enables greater flexibility in the shape and volume of the boat being handled, with the main structure aft/forward of the craft.

This deck-mounted davit has a safe working load of 15,000 kg and can operate in both single- and dual-point configuration to handle various boat sizes. It could handle a 9.0-m self-propelled barge, 7.5-m rigid-hulled inflatable boat, and a 7.0-m standard container by incorporating adjustable lifting points into the system. These davits are motion compensating with shock absorbers, and the dual winches each have independent constant tension and an anti-pendulation device with guide arms for maximum stability to safely launch and recover boats in rough sea conditions.