Leading supplier of onboard power and HVAC solutions, Fischer Panda UK, has been chosen to supply Power and Climate Control Solutions to a £25m Japanese Hovercraft Project
Griffon Hoverwork will supply three 12000TD craft to Japan, working collaboratively with Fischer Panda on the power generation and climate control solutions for the vessels. Fischer Panda UK’s range of market leading generators and air conditioning systems from long standing, trusted partner Dometic was selected for the project.
The 23.7m long craft replaces an old ferry service linking Oita airport to the city where temperatures can be hot and humid in the height of summer but reach lows of -7C in the winter months. The hovercraft will carry approximately 80 people with a payload of 12 tonnes and a top speed of 45 knots. The 12000TD is already used by Hovertravel in the UK, to link Ryde on the Isle of Wight with Southsea in Portsmouth.
The hovercraft has no water intake so could not support a standard water-cooled marine generator so a specialised approach was required. The result was a vehicle-type Panda 15 Mini PVMV-N 12kW/15kVA 120v 60Hz generator marinised to meet the demands of this system design.
The onboard climate control of the 23.7m long craft includes seven Dometic Brisk II Evolution 15k units installed on each craft. The rooftop mounted reverse cycle units enables Griffon to maximise on internal space and benefit from a simple installation process to provide both heating and cooling solutions for each of the craft.
Chris Fower, Sales and Marketing Director at Fischer Panda UK commented, “We are delighted to be working with British manufacturer, Griffon, again on supplying and installing an onboard system solution for this vital passenger service project for the people and visitors of Oita in Japan. It was important for Griffon to work with a trusted, knowledgeable and local partner who could offer the most efficient and reliable technology for this high value project. This was a very specialist system design and involved working closely with Griffon to meet the needs of this unique craft along with expertise in system solutions from our partners such as Dometic.”
Griffon anticipates that all craft will be delivered by January 2024 and Mark Downer, Griffon’s Engineering Director commented on why they chose to work with Fischer Panda UK on the project, “Griffon Hoverwork has used Dometic air conditioning units and Fischer Panda diesel generators on our hovercraft for many years and are pleased to maintain our relationship on the Oita 12000TD project.”
