Finnpilot Pilotage Ltd has reinforced its long-standing partnership with Marine Alutech by placing an order for another Watercat 160 Pilot vessel. This latest acquisition marks the sixth vessel of the new 160 Pilot Series for the Finnish Pilotage organisation’s fleet, demonstrating continued confidence in Marine Alutech’s innovative pilot boat solutions.
The first of six Watercat 160 Pilot was delivered to the Finnish Finnpilot Pilotage Ltd. in spring 2022. The icegoing Watercat 160 Pilot Series are made for daily use in rough Baltic Sea circumstances. Their seekeeping capabilities are excellent. Through very low fuel consumption, the environmental impact is reducing significantly.
The PILOT boat has a self-righting ability as well as the ability to sail in surface ice of up to five centimetres thick. It can also be operated in deeper offshore waters to accommodate transfers of pilots to deeper-draught ships.
The Watercat 160 Pilot can operate even in more restrictive inner harbour waters. The bow has D-type rubber fendering while the hull sides are equipped with truck tyres for added safety when manoeuvring alongside larger ships for pilot transfers.
The wheelhouse is fitted with a set of nine tempered glass windows with heating and sunshades, guaranteeing improved visibility for the crew under different weather and external light conditions. The interior seats for the two crewmembers and the four pilots/passengers are with four-point safety harnesses as well as footrests.
Power is provided by one Scania DI13 079M main engine that produces 552 kW and complies with IMO Tier II emissions standards. The engine drives a Steerprop propeller via a Twin Disc MGX-6599A gearbox to deliver a maximum speed of over 23 knots and a cruising speed of 20 knots. A hydraulically boosted steering system ensures quieter operation as well as quicker responses to helm input. The engine room is fitted with Frenchlight interference-protected LED lighting.
The boat relies on a pair of 220Ah batteries to supply electrical power for the vast array of navigation and communication electronics. A complete Furuno package consists of a DRS12A-NXT radar, two FM-8900S handheld radios, a Navpilot 711C autopilot, a GPS, an FA-170 class A AIS transponder, an SC-70 satellite compass, a BR-500 BNWAS, and an LH-5000 loudhailer. The other electronics include a MaxSea plotter, two McMurdo portable VHF radios, EPIRB, and SART. Also fitted are five wide-angle, night vision cameras and a separate video switch with split-screen function and a selector switch next to the coxswain.
Mounted on the wheelhouse roof is a Seematz searchlight while the bow also has forward headlights to aid in sailing under low-visibility conditions. The wheelhouse itself also has emergency lighting independent of the boat’s main electrical power supply, and this lighting is designed to continue functioning even after the boat becomes submerged, such as following a capsize.
When evacuation of the boat becomes necessary, the occupants have access to a SOLAS B-certified liferaft with hydrostatic release. The release function can be operated remotely from inside the wheelhouse for fast deployment.
