Design of an icebreaker Offshore Service Vessel (OSV) of 80-m in length might seems a fair step up from a 30-m harbour tugboat, but all in a day’s work for Robert Allan’s Vancouver-based versatile naval architects, who have just been awarded a contract for two new designs for such vessels to be built in Turkey for operation in the shallow, seasonally ice-bound waters of the Caspian Sea. TundRA 8000 OSV Preliminary Design: Image courtesy of Robert Allan Robert Allan Ltd. is an independent, privately owned firm of Consulting Naval Architects founded in 1930 when Robert Allan commenced private practice as a Consulting Naval Architect. Year on year, just like Topsy the business grew and grew until in 2008 the company was restructured to a culture of employee ownership with eleven of Robert Allan Ltd.'s core group of senior employees becoming shareholders in the firm. But a present generation Allan – Robert G. – grandson of the founder, remains Executive Chairman and... [More]

The new Voith Linear Jet gives naval architects new ways to optimize their vessel designs while still delivering top speeds of 40 knots. The key difference to conventional propellers is the VLJ's much smoother and quieter operation even at high speeds and a larger range of applications: Not only is the propulsion system useful for high speeds, but it is also ideally suited to low-speed cruising. The Voith Linear Jet combines the advantages of waterjets (at high speeds) with those of conventional propellers (at low speeds) in one propulsion system. The high degree of efficiency achieved in both areas of application makes it the perfect solution not only for fast catamarans but also for yachts, coast guard vessels or ferries. Low installation complexity, low sensitivity to marine growth, sustained high efficiency across the vessels' speed range and high bollard pull are borrowed from the propeller side. Reduced vessel draft, the ability to reach high speeds with high efficiency and low n... [More]