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Damen Shipyards Group has received an order for a 74-meter fishery research vessel from the Angolan Ministry of Fisheries.

The vessel, designed by Skipsteknisk (FRV 7417), will be the forth Damen delivers to the Angolan Ministry of Fisheries following the two 62-meter fishery inspection surveillance vessels 6210 and a smaller fishery research vessel (FRV 2808).

Hein van Ameijden, managing director of Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding, commented that the yard’s vast naval building expertise can also be applied to this innovative research ship. Any successful research vessel has to operate extremely quietly and Damen has the expert knowledge needed to achieve the Silent notation for the FRV, he says.

According to Damen, special attention will be paid to the design, construction and outfitting of the vessel to minimise underwater noise, as well as onboard internal acoustic noise and vibrations. Machinery components, including pumps and ventilation plants, will be resiliently mounted where necessary to reduce noise and vibrations. The stiffness of foundations and supports for all the noise critical components and pipe systems will also be thoroughly checked to ensure that they comply with the silent notation.

The FRV 7417 is suitable for various functions such as hydrographic operations, acoustics research, pelagic and demersal trawling, plankton, water, environmental and geographical sampling, oil recovery and emergency towage operations.

Friso Visser, Damen regional director Africa, said: “Angola was looking for a vessel which would help in researching its rich fishing grounds and fish stock. We are delighted to welcome them back to Damen.”