The newbuilds will replace THV Patricia and THV Galatea, enhancing Trinity House’s capability to maintain the UK’s vital navigation infrastructure
VARD, the Norwegian shipbuilding group and subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group, has secured a contract worth more than €220 million to design and build two multi-function buoy and lighthouse maintenance vessels for UK maritime safety organisation Trinity House.
Awarded following a competitive public tender, the contract marks VARD’s first order for vessels of this type and represents a significant milestone for both organisations. The new ships will replace the ageing THV Patricia and THV Galatea and are part of Trinity House’s plans to renew their fleet of three vessels.
Trinity House is a maritime safety and welfare organisation that works for the benefit and safety of all mariners as a General Lighthouse Authority and maritime charity. As the General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar, it operates marine aids to navigation that are critical to the safety of ships and seafarers. Trinity House’s mission is to deliver a reliable, efficient and cost-effective aids to navigation service for the benefit and safety of all mariners. Separate to its work as a GLA, as a self-funding maritime charity, it provides education, support and welfare to the seafaring community.
Trinity House is a maritime safety and welfare organisation that works for the benefit and safety of all mariners as a General Lighthouse Authority and maritime charity. As the General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar, it operates marine aids to navigation that are critical to the safety of ships and seafarers. Trinity House’s mission is to deliver a reliable, efficient and cost-effective aids to navigation service for the benefit and safety of all mariners. Separate to its work as a GLA, as a self-funding maritime charity, it provides education, support and welfare to the seafaring community.
The contract includes an exchange program for students where VARD, Trinity House and Vard Marine in Canada engage in a training partnership allowing apprentices to enhance their maritime competence.
As part of the public tender award, the contract includes UK-content commitment, securing extended use of British suppliers throughout the build. The two multi-function Buoy and Lighthouse maintenance vessels are of VARD 9 601 design, designed by Vard Marine in Canada in collaboration with Vard Design in Norway.
Damien Oliver, Trinity House’s Senior Responsible Owner for the Futures Afloat ship replacement programme said: We are delighted to be partnering with Vard to deliver the next generation of multi-functional buoy handling tenders for Trinity House. These new ships will ensure we can continue to fulfil our statutory responsibilities efficiently and effectively for decades to come.
This contract demonstrates the UK’s continued and ongoing commitment to partnership with Norway in ensuring freedom of navigation and the safety of shipping.
Following a rigorous procurement process, Vard has demonstrated the expertise, innovation and capability required to design and build vessels that will support our mission while providing high quality accommodation and facilities for our dedicated
Iain Lower, Deputy Master and Chief Executive Officer for Trinity House, said: Following a highly competitive tender process led by the Futures Afloat programme team, I am pleased that we have awarded the contract to Vard, a world-class shipbuilder with an outstanding reputation for quality and innovation, to deliver these vital new vessels.
The replacement of our ageing fleet represents a significant investment in the future of Trinity House and the safety of those who rely on our services. These ships will enhance our ability to provide a reliable, efficient and cost-effective aids to navigation service, ensuring we continue to support the safety of mariners and the resilience of the maritime sector more generally for generations to come.
The VARD 9 601 is designed as a capable, safe and robust multi-role vessel, combining navigation buoy tending with hydrographic survey and emergency response to hazards to navigation.
The vessels for Trinity House feature a hybrid propulsion system and can operate fully on battery power while alongside, at anchor and for limited duration during dynamic positioning and transit. The battery system also provides peak shaving and spinning reserve support to the main generators, minimizing fuel consumption, emissions and environmental impact.
Future-proofed for the maritime energy transition, the vessels are designed with the capability for conversion to methanol fuel, providing a pathway towards further reductions in greenhouse gas emissions throughout their operational lifetime.
This, combined with an optimized, shallow-draft hull design and highly efficient propulsion equipment, including stern azimuthi propulsors, a tunnel thruster and a pump jet, creates state-of-the-art operationally and environmentally efficient vessels.
The vessels are built for advanced Dynamic Positioning and crane operations, with a main deck configured for buoy handling and stowage, a 30T twin hoist tension control crane, and two smaller stores cranes.
The versatile platform is further equipped with two workboats, a towing winch, and helideck, enabling safe and efficient operations in support of Trinity House’s extensive navigation aid maintenance and maritime service responsibilities.
CEO in Vard Group, Cathrine Kristiseter Marti is proud of Vard Group being awarded the contract: After a long and thorough process, we are thrilled to have been awarded the contract to renew Trinity House’s capabilities to maintain and modernise crucial marine infrastructure in UK waters. Their work is important and VARD is looking forward to continuing the collaboration through developing maritime competence across borders. This is crucial for all partners involved.
This contract truly emphasises the significant role VARD and our owner Fincantieri play for the future of the maritime industry. We thank Trinity House for the opportunity to be a part of this and welcome them as a customer to VARD.
Cybersecurity will be engineered into the vessel as an integrated and layered capability. This includes secure system-to-system integration, segregation between operational technology and information technology, controlled interfaces and protected ship-to-shore data flows. The security architecture is based on security by design, demonstrated through verified and tested built-in system capabilities and secure development practices.
With exceptional 360-degree bridge visibility over the working deck aft and helideck forward, in addition to high spec Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 compliant accommodation, the platform provides safety, efficiency and comfort to all crew on board. The crew comfort is maximized with a low noise tunnel thruster, pump jet and roll damping tank, with the vessel designed to meet Lloyd’s Register’s CAC(1) and ABN(Q) class notations for onboard noise and vibration, and airborne noise emissions.
Vard Interiors will deliver a complete turnkey interior solution that combines modern accommodation with the latest green HVAC-R technology, enhancing onboard comfort while reducing energy consumption. Combining quality craftsmanship with sustainable solutions, Vard Interiors delivers interiors that support reliable vessel operations, enhance crew comfort, and meet the evolving needs of the maritime industry.
Vard Electro will supply a comprehensive SeaQ package covering power, control, bridge and communication systems, while acting as single system integrator for the project. This brings the key onboard electrical technologies into one coordinated scope. At the core of the vessel’s energy setup, the propulsion system combines SeaQ DC switchboards with a SeaQ energy storage system exceeding 3,600 kWh in capacity. A multi-connection SeaQ Shore Connection, working together with the energy storage system, enables zero-emission operations at quay. Combined, the power and propulsion setup is designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, improve flexibility and support future ambitions for the use of methanol as fuel.
The vessel will also be equipped with SeaQ Green Pilot, Vard Electro’s cloud-based energy management solution. Supporting the customer’s sustainability ambitions, the system collects and analyses real-time vessel data to provide insight into fuel consumption, emissions and vessel performance. This gives the operator a stronger basis for decision-making, environmental reporting, and compliance with current operational and regulatory requirements.
The vessels will be constructed using VARD’s global integrated value chain. Delivery is scheduled for Q2 and Q4 in 2029 from one of VARD’s yards in Norway.
