This new range draws on Ocea's 30 years of experience in FPBs, the company retaining the strong points of its boats (robustness, reliability, speed, autonomy, etc.) while adapting its solutions based on feedback. customer experience, the evolution of missions and technologies, but also new regulations, particularly on the environmental level, which have led to an increase in hull weight in recent years. “We have undertaken in-depth work in terms of naval architecture and systems to completely renew the range with a global approach. Everything has been redesigned and redone, from the hull to the interior spaces. The objective is to restore potential to our products, in terms of economic and operational competitiveness, at least for the next 15 years”, explain to Mer et Marine, at Ocea, Fabrice Weinbach and Philippe Neri, marketing and sales director respectively. for the first and, for the second, director of maritime security and safety.
Around ten models from 15 to 41 meters
The result is a whole series of new patrol boats, from 15 to 41 meters, like the new FPB 55 (18 meters) and FPB 98 (32 meters) that we are revealing in this article. In total, the new catalog includes around ten models, Ocea having taken the opportunity to add additional sizes to its current catalog, in particular between 15 and 24 meters, like the FPB 55 which did not exist until now.
The brand new FPB 55.
“Our new FPBs go further, are faster and offer increased operational capabilities”
Externally, the boats are revamped with more modern lines and, above all, have been completely redesigned to reduce construction, operation and maintenance costs, but also improve operational performance. Thus, at equivalent size compared to existing models, “our new FPBs go further, are faster and offer increased capacities, the size of the on-board semi-rigids being for example increased by 10%, i.e. that where we had a 6.5 meter boat, we move to a 7 meter boat.” Improvements obtained without cutting corners on crews, whether it concerns the comfort of living quarters or the number of accommodations on board. On the contrary, accommodation capacity has even increased, on average by 8%. An important point for many of Ocea's international customers who want modern units but do not want to push automation too far, especially since many do not have the human resources issues faced by Western navies.
All models designed for the implementation of drones
The size of the rear decks has also been increased, by approximately 10%, in order to once again increase operational capacities. Not only to carry a larger RIB, but also drones. “All of our FPBs can now deploy an aerial drone and we have also worked so that these boats can deploy a surface drone or underwater drones.” And more square meters available on the deck also means more space to accommodate shipwreck victims as part of search and rescue (SAR) missions. In terms of armament, Ocea remains on a manual or remotely operated artillery base, up to a 30 mm main gun. It is however possible to integrate, depending on the model, a light surface-air system or even a rocket launcher. Ocea is also working on the integration of anti-drone systems on its FPBs.
16% less fuel consumption
Significant work was carried out on the design of the hull, which is more hydrodynamic, while on board the architects' mission consisted of rethinking the spaces and succeeding in making the boats lighter despite the new regulatory constraints which result in additional weight. . A successful challenge since, according to Ocea, the weight estimate is 10% lower, which made it possible to reduce the power of the engines by 14%. “On average over the range, the result is that we have gained 16% on fuel consumption compared to boats of the same size and performance.”
Philippe Neri and Fabrice Weinbach in Saint-Nazaire, where one of the Ocea sites is located, whose headquarters and main construction site are located in the Vendée port of Sables d'Olonne.
Financial and environmental gains
This generates significant savings on operating costs and, in passing, a reduction in polluting emissions, which is added to that already obtained naturally by the fact that aluminum hulls are naturally significantly less heavy than equivalents in steel, of the order of 30% according to Ocea. These FPBs can also meet IMO Tier III standards for models over 30 meters, while a “Cleanship” rating from the Bureau Veritas classification society is offered as an option on the entire range. The new boats have also been designed to be able to operate with biofuels and even new fuels such as methanol, with some adaptations already planned in the design.
A common technical base to produce faster, while facilitating training and maintenance
On a technical level, this new range is distinguished, and this is in fact one of the most important points, by a base common to all models. “The goal is to have great consistency between the models with architectural and system similarities, while obviously being able to customize the boats according to the needs and requests of customers,” emphasize Fabrice Weinbach and Philippe Neri. This shared technical base will make it possible to optimize industrial processes, with easier and faster construction. For example, Ocea has set itself the objective of producing an FPB 98 in 9 to 10 months, instead of 12 today. Which means increased productivity, therefore better competitiveness, increased throughput and reduced delivery times which can make the difference during international competitions. In addition, this new approach will make it easier to maintain boats and train crews, who will be able to easily move from one model to another. With, here too, sources of savings for customers.
© An article from the editorial staff of Mer et Marine. Reproduction prohibited without consent of the author(s).
Related News :