Norman R. Wright & Sons Launch 17 Metre Catamaran MV Tamoya

Queensland’s leading custom commercial and recreational boat designer/builder, Norman R. Wright & Sons, has launched MV “Tamoya”, a custom-designed and built 17 Metre aluminium Patrol, Research and Infrastructure Support Catamaran, for the Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program.

Servicing the Islands and waters of the Whitsundays and beyond from its homeport of Airlie Beach, Tamoya’s role will include patrol operations, dive support operations, marine infrastructure installation and maintenance (eg moorings and signs), and island park management (camp grounds, walking tracks, weed management).

Designed by Incat Crowther featuring a wave piercing hull design, the new vessel will be required to operate independently for up to 10 days away from port in remote offshore reef areas with up to 7 persons onboard, and a range of 500 nautical miles at cruising speed of 20 knots courtesy of the twin MAN i6-850 engines. Unique to the design is a central nacelle to improve seakeeping and performance in head seas, and the large aft work deck features a custom dinghy retrieval system that can safely and easily launch, store and retrieve a 3.4m rigid inflatable tender.

The main cabin features a fully appointed galley, mess area and wet room featuring the latest household appliances. Port and starboard stairways lead to crew cabins and storage with direct access to the separate engine rooms, with a pair of twin cabins forward of the galley. Moving forward there is an elevated wheelhouse including the Captain’s bunk, with port and starboard doors for access to the spacious foredeck. The roof of the vessel offers ample storage and a heavy duty davit to hoist tenders and cargo, with roof mounted solar panels aiding energy efficient operation of the vessel.

Norman R. Wright & Sons were selected through a competitive tender process to manage the design and construction of Tamoya and after demonstrating their ability with recent projects to deliver high quality commercial aluminium vessels, the most recent being the 24M Patrol Catamaran Reef Resilience for the same client. 

“Tamoya was built beside Reef Resilience so our team enjoyed the benefits of the collaborative construction process,” said Paul Rudd, Wright’s Project Manager – Alloy Vessels. “We were able to apply what we’d learnt throughout the build process for Reef Resilience to Tamoya assisting with the implementation of the AMSA Survey and ISO 9001 quality control requirements”.

Thanks to Norman R Wright & Son’s assistance and their network of experienced quality subcontractors, Tamoya is already engaged in protecting the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.