Finning UK & Ireland, the UK’s sole supplier of Cat® marine engines has installed the first set of a series of generators with bespoke control and monitoring systems on the Royal Navy’s newest River Class Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV).
Three Cat C18’s and one Cat C9 marine generator, with highly sophisticated performance analysis and evaluation software bespoke-designed by Finning, have been installed on HMS Forth, which is docked at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun shipyard in Glasgow.
The first of five OPVs designed and built by BAE Systems, the 90-metre-long HMS Forth has been developed for multiple roles, including support to counter-terrorism, anti-piracy, anti-smuggling and maritime defence operations.
The three Finning-supplied C18 generators, with separate circuit aftercooling systems that utilizes jacket water rather than seawater, will supply all of HMS Forth’s main electrical power requirements. In the unlikely event of power failure, the C9 generator will keep HMS Forth’s critical systems, such as emergency lighting, steering, navigational radar and controls, functional.
With their robust design, the Cat generators from Finning proved an ideal solution for the rigours of the marine environment.
The generator package supplied was designed to meet BAE Systems’ stringent specifications and, as is mandatory in the European market, are to be CE marked.
Finning has also supplied a stock of genuine Cat parts to BAE Systems’ Portsmouth shipyard for the ongoing maintenance of the generators when the ship launches.
HMS Forth’s four sister ships – Medway, Trent, Tamar and Spey are currently at varying stages of the build process at BAE Systems’ Govan and Scotstoun shipyards.
For further information about Finning Marine visit http://www.finning.co.uk