Taska Marine, of Ipswich, makes its debut at the Seawork International exhibition at Southampton in June with a powerful 12-metre sea-going workboat (MCA Cat 3). Its low air draft, width and height make it easily transported by road and ideal for shallow-water operations.
With twin Perkins 215bhp engines set wide apart, two PRM1000D gearboxes with a 4:1 ratio and a four-ton bollard pull, it was specifically designed to manoeuvre jack-up and flat-top barges and carry out crew transfers. The boat is capable of carrying 12 people.
Wayne Challis, who designed the boat, said, “There’s nothing quite like it. Extremely powerful and manoeuvrable, it’s built entirely from steel and has a dead weight of 20 tons. Unlike other shallow-draft workboats, when a project comes to an end she can simply be lifted from the water, put on the back of a lorry and taken to the next location.
“This is a major selling point for this boat and we expect it to attract a great deal of interest at Seawork,” said Wayne, managing director of Taska Marine.
The company is a joint venture between Challis and Sons and Red7Marine, who have worked together on marine projects for several years.
Challis and Sons are marine engineers and engineering contractors based in Clacton. Wayne’s father David, who started the business 25 years ago, remains a director and Wayne’s son Louis is an apprentice.
Red7Marine is an international marine construction, diving and subsea company whose headquarters are in Wrabness, Essex. The company, which has a workforce of 175, also has bases in Great Yarmouth, Ipswich, Northfleet and Exeter.
Nick Offord, managing director of Red7Marine, said, “The size of this powerful boat makes it very attractive for shallow-water projects. Typically, one of our jack-up barges is transported on eight lorries. This will simply require a ninth lorry.”
The workboat was built at Red7Marine’s fabrication facility at Cliff Quay, Ipswich, and underwent successful trials at the port in May.
It has a length over all of 12.3 metres and a beam of 3.7 metres. Key features include a twin push bow, sealed weather decks, hydraulic steering and keel cooling.
The boat, with its distinctive orange hull and green deck, will go on show for the first time in Southampton on June 14th at the opening of the three-day Seawork International exhibition, Europe’s biggest business-to-business event for the commercial marine and workboat sectors. Delegates will be able to view and trial the boat, with Taska demonstrating its power and manoeuvrability and the ease with which it can be lifted and secured onto a lorry.
