station is on the deck alongside the main towing winch. This is fully encased and sealed with a 350mm raised coaming with its own weatherproof lockable hatch. The station, which drains back to the dirty oil tank, contains the fuel oil central fill and discharge transfer, with dry break couplings and central venting. There is dirty oil discharging and venting, lube oil filling and a connection for the waterblaster located in the engineroom, together with the required emergency stops. This oil transfer safety system ensures the risk of a major oil spill when refueling or discharging from the ship is mitigated against all but a catastrophic hose burst or shore connection malfunction, thereby giving the master some peace of mind, rather than the fear of a major environmental fine when there is a small spill at the fueling station. On entering the wheelhouse, the main conning position affords clear vision, with only the funnel casings obstructing some of the quarter view. The second and main winch control is between the exhaust stacks, while a third conning position is up top on the flybridge when working in close and personal with barges. The absence of a ship's wheel may be hard for old salts to get their head around. In its place, two toggle levers for port or starboard helm may be used independently, giving the master a high level of manoeuverability at his fingertips.
Up top is a Jabsco 24 volt DC searchlight plus a large
air horn, while inside the wheelhouse the electronics and aids to navigation, supplied and installed by Steelcom
Electronics, include a 6kW Furuno scanner linked to a 48-mile radar, a Furuno GPS, a Furuno 600 watt echo- sounder and an ICM 442 VHF marine radio for voice communications.
Because of her intended use in the sub-tropical waters
of Australia's northern and eastern coast, airconditioning of the wheelhouse and accommodation areas was essential. For crew comfort, the floor in these two areas is of a floating type. The Ocean Breeze airconditioning uses a chilled water system, with keel-cooled chiller units in the engineroom, along with stainless steel air handlers in the living areas and wheelhouse. Although she has a normal designed manning level
of two, the PT May has accommodation for four to provide flexibility for coastal and long-haul tow work, where watchkeeping becomes a key factor. The crew accommodation is below and for'ard. The heads and shower are very utilitarian. The head has what looks like a retrofitted sanitary system to meet the Australian Great Barrier Reef and coastal requirements for sewage treatment and disposal. Opposite is the shower with its own stainless steel
basin. For'ard in the fo'c'sle is the crew accommodation incorporating the galley, dining area and four bunks. Aft through a watertight door is the main machinery space and engineroom. This is seriously large and it is easy to forget you are only on a 15m tug. This is an engineer's dream space, with everything in its place and room to get round and service all the engines, even in a seaway. From the workbench to specialised tools, it's all here,
WORKBOAT - TUG - WINCH BUILDERS WORKBOAT - TUG - WINCH BUILDERS
PO Box 24 Whangarei New Zealand 0140 PH: +64 9 438 2219, FAX: +64 9 438 7845 www.shipco.co.nz shipco.kelvin@xtra.co.nz
SHIPCO SHIPCO NZ WORKBOAT REVIEW 2012 35
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