Inish Fendra

Mooney Boats Ltd Deliver “Inish Fendra” to Waterways Ireland

Waterways Ireland have took delivery there 3rd vessel from Mooney Boats Ltd the “Inish Fendra” on 16th November 2011. The “Inish Fendra” is a 11.2m Steel tug/workboat specifically designed and built for the operating environment of the Shannon Erne waterway system. The vessel is a very similar design to the “Inis Mullin” – also built by Mooney Boats Ltd and delivered to the company in June 2010. There are some changes due to the area of operation of this vessel on the Shannon Erne waterway. Air draft was the major difference for design of the “Inish Fendra”. Due to the fact the vessel will be operating on the Erne Waterway System the design process involved significant input from the vessel operators and managers combined with the latest technology and ideas from the designers and builders to improve on efficiency, safety and Air Draft to exceed the vessel operating regulations. There are many small workboats available but for a truly suitable vessel the specific requirements of the operating environment had to be considered. The vessel has a low draught of just 1.178m (ballasted) at her maximum load, which can be reduced to 1.064m (unballasted) if required to access certain stretches. The air draft is also limited to maximize access during the high water levels in winter when a lot of maintenance is carried out to the waterways infrastructure. The unique feature on the Inish Fendra is that she has been fitted with a 3500 liter ballast tank and pumping system. By the touch of a button the crew can fill or empty the forward ballast tank with the AM 40D 1½” Bronze Self-priming Centrifugal Motor Pump Unit Complete with 3kW 400v/3 phase/50Hz 2900rpm IP55 electric motor capacity up to 28 m³/hour (100 gallons/minute) at 5m head at 2900rpm. By filling this tank the vessel can reduce her air 0.2m which will prove to be crucial in her operations. The vessel has also been designed so that she can be transported by road with folding mast. The hull shape was developed to allow easy maneuvering in confined spaces as she will be used to push and pull other vessels and barges as well as carry out her own workboat duties. There is a double pusher bow arrangement which is fitted with an access door to allow the crew to step onto pontoons or quay from the bow area. On Sea trials the vessel achieved a bollard pull of 1.54 Ton which is very impressive for a vessel that has only an 185hp main engine fitted. The vessel exceeded her design speed and achieved a Sea trial top speed of 9 knots at 2100rpm.The vessel was surveyed under build by Irish Marine Survey Office and she has been granted a P4 passenger license. Main propulsion is from a Perkins Sabre M185C Keel Cooled Engine developing 185bhp @ 2100rpm coupled to a Twin Disc Quickshift Gearbox MGX 5075 SC 2.04:1. This is the first time Perkins or Twin Disc have every actually used a Quick Shift gearbox on a Perkins M185. The reason Waterways Ireland wanted the quickshift gearbox fitted is because they were so impressed with the gearbox on the “Inis Muilin” which Mooney Boats Ltd delivered in 2010 which was fitted with the same gearbox only it was coupled to a Caterpillar C7 developing 320hp. There is also fitted in the engine room a Cummins Onan 13.5Kw Genset which is to be used for providing power for the hand power tools on the vessel, galley equipment and heating. Both main engine and generator are fitted with Klima Box coolers so that there is no risk of blocking seacock’s in the shallower parts of the river. The main engine is driving a 2 ¼” Duplex stainless steel propeller shaft and turning a 28″x18.5″ 4 blade propeller. The hydraulic steering on the vessel is a LS-80-PC hand hydraulic helm pump which is also fitted with a HF 1 – 6-24v power pack and is a closed circuit independent system. The hydraulics on the vessel are powered by an engine driven variable displacement Kawasaki K3VL80/B Load Sense Hydraulic Pump which is used to drive all hydraulics on the vessel. Deck equipment is all specified for the more heavy duty construction work support which the vessel will be undertaking. A centrally mounted Guerra MC40.55 A2 short post deck crane can access the entire aft deck lifting 500kg and a maximum reach of 6m. The crane is fitted with the Hook Marine Kranscan system to ensure the crane and vessel combination cannot be operated outside safe limits. On the aft deck a 2 Ton Rotzler TITAN deck winch was installed which can be used for lifting over the open transom. A cruciform was fitted on the extreme aft deck which allows towing her to be safely used for towing operations. The vessel was also fitted with a Seacatch 3.17 SWL quick release towing hook which can be operated from inside the wheelhouse. Forward there is a Vetus Alex 3 hydraulic anchor winch which can be controlled locally. The vessel has also been fitted with a Side-Power 30Hp SP 300 Hydraulic Thruster, which can be controlled from either inside the wheelhouse or outside the wheelhouse at a forward control station. Other hydraulic include a Hercules Hydraulics Hydraulic power washer. There is a deck accessed WC recessed into the deck to allow all the helm to see over the top and ensure good all round vision for close quarter operations. Within the main wheelhouse is a galley fitted out with a cooker, microwave and a small services area. There is crew seating for 2 and the Skipper has his own Nor Sap 1000 skippers’ chair. All areas on the vessel are heated by eclectic panel heaters which are run of the 13.5Kw Genset. The yards electrical engineer has the genset wired to a timer which will automatically start the unit on a preset timer which can be set from within the wheelhouse. The idea behind this is that in the cold winters which the country has experienced over the last number of years the vessel can keep the heat in all areas to prevent the build up of condensation or freezing water pipes. Navigation equipment which was supplied by Barry Electronics Ltd consist of the following, 1 x Icom M-401 Waterproof VHF Fixed Transceiver, 1 x Furuno Depth and Speed Smart Transducer System 1 x Furuno GP-7000 Colour LCD GPS Plotter 1 xFuruno Model 1623 Daylight Viewing Radar, 1 x Entel HT644 Handheld VHF Radiotelephone, 1 Compass and 1 Stereo Sound System. All other electrical work on the vessel was supplied and fitted by Mooney Boats Ltd which included wiring of the vessels navigation lights, heating system, electric immersion heater, cooker, fire alarm panel, electrical bilge system, EC 300 Twin Disc engine controls, Battery charging system and all engine wiring. The paint system for the vessel was a Jotun 2 pack system which was supplied by Mooney Boats Ltd and once again applied by local painter Gerard Bray & Sons Ltd. The Cathodic protection system was design by MG Duff and supplied and fitted by the yard For operating in the inland waterway system environmental considerations are particularly important and from the outset the design had a zero discharge specification. To this end Klima box coolers which were specifically designed for the vessel and mounted within a hull recesses to provide engine and genset cooling. All fillers have ample catchalls with drain valves and the WC and basins are lead to holding tanks for discharge ashore. All components were specified for use with biodegradable oil limiting the extent of any pollution should a serious accident or failure occur. This vessel will provide a high quality purpose built solution to the maintaining the Shannon Erne Waterway system for many years to come. The vessel was delivered by road on the 16th November to Waterways Ireland in Ballyconnell Co Cavan. For further inquiries on this vessel or any other vessels please contact Mooney Boats Ltd Ireland

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