The fishing vessel ‘FOREVER FAITHFUL, PD 289’, is the fifth trawler built by Macduff Shipyards for the same family. Completed and delivered by Macduff Ship Design, the vessel replaces the owner’s previous vessel of the same name, built in 2016. . The vessel replaces the owner’s previous vessel of the same name, built in 2016. The vessel is intended to fish out of Peterhead in the Northeast of Scotland, targeting primarily prawns in the North Sea region.
Designed between the yard and Macduff Ship Design, during the early design phase of the lead vessel the Wolfson Unit in Southampton was commissioned to run a case study of two hull forms utilising CFD technology. The first hull form was in fact the previous FOREVER FAITHFUL, the second was the new concept model featuring increased length, a gradual bustle forward of the propeller and a unique stem where the bulbous bow was not fully submerged but rather tapered gradually into the bow’s upper region.
Results from the study indicated a significant reduction in hull resistance at the two test speeds of 8 and 10 knots which has now been verified, with the new vessel steaming around 1 knot faster at full engine power than the previous vessel, with both vessels sharing the same engine and available power. This increase in hull efficiency enables the owner to run the engine at a lower loading to save fuel, and in turn, reduce the emissions and environmental impact of the vessel.
The FOREVER FAITHFUL is the third vessel in a series of sister ships which were all built at Macduff Shipyards Buckie site, which the yard continues to develop and invest in. All three vessels feature the same hull form and general fishing arrangement; however, each have their own unique layout to suit the owners’ preferences.
To further reduce the environmental impact of the vessel, the propulsion package was very carefully considered. The vessel features a Masson Marine W6000 gearbox with a large 10:1 reduction, the largest reduction ratio the yard has fitted to date with a fixed pitch propeller. This gearbox allowed the yard to fit a 2.5 m diameter propeller, fitted within a modern profile of nozzle duct, providing high thrust at low speeds but also a slight increase of thrust at steaming speeds too compared to the previous vessel. The propulsion power is provided by a Caterpillar C18 Tier III certified main engine with a power output of 600 hp.
