Strategic Marine (S) Pte Ltd has successfully completed construction and has delivered the first of a pair of 42m Fast Crew Boat (FCB) for repeat customer, Centus Marine Sdn Bhd.

The handover ceremony took place on 24 June 2021 at Strategic Marine’s Singapore shipyard.

The vessel, named Centus Nine, is a customized solution developed in close collaboration with Centus Marine to meet their specific operational needs for an offshore support vessel.

It is the ninth vessel built by Strategic Marine to enter Centus Marine’s fleet and follows the delivery of a 40m FCB in February 2021.   The second vessel is a sistership that will be delivered in 4^th Quarter 2021.

Centus Nine have new features and additions such as dedicated bow loading, an enlarged wheelhouse and personnel cabins based on feedback from Centus’ customers and operational staff, all developed with the aim of delivering the best possible vessel performance and enhanced capabilities.

Centus Nine completed sea trials in June and received glowing feedback by the Owner. In particular, the results from the speed trial are impressive and provides clear evidence of the benefits of Strategic Marine’s rigorous weight control measures implemented across its vessel range. With the presence of an independent surveyor, she achieved a service speed in excess of 30 knots and a top speed in excess of 31 knots in sea state 2 conditions.

The new FCB is propelled by three Cummins KTA50 engines.  She will cruise at over 30 knots and can reach top speed of almost 32 knots.  The design incorporates the robust engineering of Strategic Marine’s generation 3 hulls which are time and again proven in tough marine environments and special attention has been paid to crew comfort and safety, which is reflected in the interior arrangement of the vessel.

The crew accommodation area features 12 berths in seven cabins while the main deck lounge can comfortably accommodate up to 100 personnel in spacious business class recliner seats. Furthermore, the vessel offers dedicated luggage racks, a large, incorporated deck storage and wide walkways to facilitate crew transfer in demanding offshore conditions.

Commenting on the vessel handover, Strategic Marine’s CEO Chan Eng Yew said: “This is the second vessel we have delivered for Centus Marine this year and the fifth we have built under our new ownership.  Despite the challenges of COVID restrictions, we have proved that meeting our customers’ requirements and schedules are front and centre of what we do with vessel construction proceeding extremely smoothly thanks to our team’s flexibility and hard work.”

Centus Marine commented: “This latest delivery from Strategic Marine demonstrates the confidence and strong relationship built between the two companies.  Working with Strategic Marine we have been able to enhance vessel technology and incorporate new and innovative design features so our new bespoke vessels are both better operationally and able to deliver a superior service to our customers.”

Paolo Moretti, CEO of RINA Services commented: “The Centus Nine is the perfect example of an evolving industry. The new features show the commitment of Centus Marine in delivering the highest standards of service and the choice of having their vessels built by Strategic Marine strengthens their message to the sector. The professionalism of the shipyard made the classification and construction supervision activities a constructive process that has resulted in a highly efficient vessel.”

Strategic Marine Group has built and delivered more than 600 vessels made of both aluminium and steel for a variety of clients in the maritime, offshore and naval defence sectors. Strategic Marine’s solid reputation is based on building high-performance vessels on time and within budget.