Efficient installation and commissioning of onboard equipment is critical in the newbuild construction process – and this has been demonstrated with successful sea trials for the first davits installed by Vestdavit on a series of US Navy fleet refuelling vessels being built by General Dynamics NASSCO.
The pair of high-specification PLRH-5000 rescue boat davits were subject to rigorous operational testing in the recent trials performed with USNS Robert F. Kennedy, or T-AO 208, that is the fourth and latest so-called T-AO oiler to be delivered in the series of John Lewis-class vessels under construction at the San Diego-based shipbuilder in the US.
“Our davits performed as expected, which can be attributed to the proven robustness of this technology in naval operations as well as Vestdavit’s long-standing competence in davit installation that contributes to smooth-running newbuild deliveries,” said Vestdavit’s Managing Director Rolf Andreas Wigand.
The leading Norwegian supplier of boat-handling systems has recently also secured a further purchase order from GD NASSCO for the PLRH-5000, taking its tally to seven ships covering T-AO 208 to T-AO 214 for which Vestdavit will provide a total of 14 such davits – two per vessel.
The US shipbuilder, which specialises in design and construction of naval as well as commercial vessels, has so far been contracted to build 10 T-AO oilers under the extensive newbuild programme.
The davits will be used for launch and recovery of seven-metre RHIBs to support refuelling operations by the oilers for US Navy carrier strike group ships operating at sea under the Military Sealift Command, with each of the 742-feet vessels having capacity to carry 157,000 barrels of oil and a sailing speed of 20 knots.
This demands that such boat-handling systems are capable of rapid and reliable deployment of daughter craft for mission-critical operations under challenging conditions, with a high level of redundancy to ensure they keep operating efficiently when time is of the essence and lives may be at stake, according to Magnus Oding, General Manager of US subsidiary Vestdavit Inc., who attended commissioning of the davits at the shipyard.
He points out the PLRH-5000 davits are also equipped with sophisticated motion compensation and safety features to optimise the efficiency of launch-and-recovery operations.
These include shock absorbers for removing peak loads, constant tension for safe and efficient recovery in rough sea conditions, and guiding arms that act as an anti-pendulation device to keep the RHIB steady.
These advanced specifications are underpinned by Vestdavit’s proactive strategy of product development and innovation to meet client requirements through over 40 years of davit deliveries to the demanding naval segment that forms its core market, with a track record of supplying robust systems with proven performance in real-life operations for most Nato navies worldwide.
As a major client, the US Navy has been the source of similar repeat orders for Vestdavit such as those for the dual TDB-7000 davit-type that have been delivered for three Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ships also contracted at GD NASSCO.
Oding says a key factor in securing such awards is Vestdavit’s ability to deliver systems designed for ease of installation, with the PLRH-5000 supplied as a fully self-contained and skid-mounted davit that is quick to install. “All that is required is to weld it to the deck, fill oil and connect the power,” he explained.
Furthermore, its davits are certified according to all relevant class standards based on verification of design, materials and safety, and thorough testing at the fabrication stage, which minimises any commissioning issues during vessel construction.
Wigand concluded: “Our strong delivery model ensures we can supply tried and trusted systems that meet the highest performance standards for naval operations, with a compact footprint that enables them to be easily incorporated into newbuild designs.”
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