Norman R. Wright & Sons Commence Construction of 20M Landing Craft for the Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program

Norman R. Wright & Sons has commenced construction of a high speed 20 metre Landing Craft for the Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program, capable of undertaking beach landings for vehicular access to beaches and boat ramps through the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Designed by Incat Crowther, the 20 metre vessel complements the Program’s capacity to deliver infrastructure projects, maintenance, research and incident response fieldwork on behalf of the Queensland and Australian Government.

This landing craft provides vehicle access to beaches or boat ramps via a hydraulically operated ramp, with a reinforced hull bottom for beach groundings, low hull draft of only one metre, protected propellers and a kedging winch at the stern. The working platform of the vessel will allow it to carry, despatch and retrieve a range of vehicles including four wheel drives, trailers, an excavator, compact track loader and small tractors. The vessel will also feature a UNIC deck crane capable of lifting 680kg at 7.5m.

The full walkaround wheelhouse deck features exterior control stations forward offering exceptional visibility for the operator, while the aft deck features a rescue boat and crane, laundry and bathroom.

The main deck includes a twin cabin, spacious seating and extensive galley featuring the latest appliances, pantry, considerable bench space and separate full height fridge and freezer. Below decks you will find separate twin cabins and ample storage.

Featuring  twin MAN i6-850 EPA Tier III engines, the landing craft offers long range cruising capability of 500 nautical miles at 20 knots offering the Joint Field Management Program and its team members full coverage of the 348,700 km² iconic Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

“We’re delighted to have been selected by the Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program to build and deliver a world class working platform to help them undertake their critical works in one of Australia’s most important and iconic locations,” said Norman R. Wright & Sons Managing Director Tony Riek. “We have the knowledge and experience of building such a custom designed craft having built the Stewart Kerlin II Landing Barge for the Queensland Police Service in 2018, experience that will be reflected in the build of this new vessel,” Riek commented. 

Specifications:

Principal Dimensions

Length Overall | 69’ 9” / 21.25m 

Length Waterline 66’ 2” / 20.16m 

Beam Overall 21’ 4” / 6.50m 

Draft (hull) 3’ 4” / 1.0m 

Draft (skeg) 4’ 3” / 1.29m 

Depth 8’ 3” / 2.50m 

Construction Marine grade aluminium

Capacities

Fuel Oil | 2 034 gallons / 7 700 litres 

Fresh Water 264 gallons / 1 000 litres 

Sullage 106 gallons / 400 litres 

Personnel | 14 / 24

Propulsion and Performance

Speed (Service) | 2o knots

Speed (Max) 25 knots

Main Engines | 2 x MAN i6-850 EPA Tier III

Power 2 x 625kW @ 2300rpm 

Propulsion 2 x 34’’ FPP 

Gearboxes 2 x ZF 665, 2.233:1 

Regulatory

Flag | Australia

Class / Survey AMSA DCV 1C/2C 

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