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HAMILTONJETS FOR WORLD’S BIGGEST HIGH SPEED CREW BOAT

11th November 2013

HamiltonJet HT900s for World’s Biggest High Speed Crew Boat


New Zealand waterjet manufacturer HamiltonJet continues its dominance of fast crew / supply boat propulsion with four HT900 waterjets selected for Incat Crowther’s latest project - a first-of-type 70m Catamaran Fast Crew Boat for operations in the Caspian Sea oil industry in Azerbaijan.

When completed in 12 months time this vessel will be the world’s largest high speed crew boat operating in the global oil industry.  It will also be the largest vessel HamiltonJet has been involved in, and will further showcase waterjet’s performance and manoeuvring benefits over other forms of propulsion in this demanding marine sector.

The DP2 class vessel will have four control stations, each utilizing HamiltonJet’s MECS control system integrating with a DNV DYNPOS-AUTR dynamic positioning system.  This system provides improved safety during crew transfers in conditions up to sea state 4.  

With four 2880kW MTU engines each turning 900mm diameter waterjets expected top speed is 36 knots with an efficient service speed of 30 knots at full load and 90% MCR.  This speed performance will make the vessel more cost effective than helicopter transfer of crew and cargo, while the semi-SWATH hull design of the vessel, along with active ride control, will reduce stress on passengers so they arrive at an oil platform fit to work.  She will be capable of carrying 150 passengers and 14 crew, along with 200 tonnes of deck cargo, in up to 40 knot wind and seas of 3m significant wave height.

The vessel is under construction at the Incat Tasmania shipyard, with the design by Incat Crowther and production engineering by Revolution Design. The final product incorporates key experience and strengths by each of the parties involved. Incat Tasmania has the specialized facilities, construction methodologies and experience of very large aluminium catamarans. Revolution Design has incorporated the production engineering design techniques optimized over multiple build projects at Incat Tasmania.

In designing this new 70m vessel class, Incat Crowther drew on its previous experience with the SEACOR CrewZer class of fast catamaran crewboats, with the forth of these recently launched in the US.  These vessels also utilize HamiltonJet waterjet propulsion (quad HM811s) and the combination of catamaran hull form and waterjets has proven very successful.

HamiltonJet waterjets work particularly well in DP capable vessels, where the powerful 360 degree thrust forces generated by the jet’s split duct reverse deflector at any boat speed effectively act as an azimuth thruster.  The effect of the waterjet manoeuvring thrust is further enhanced with the wide spacing of the jet units in a catamaran configuration – two jets per hull – which provides even better control of the vessel’s stern and can even assist with sideways movement of the bow.  It is in no small part his low speed manoeuvrability provided by HamiltonJet waterjets compared to other waterjet manufacturers that has seen the company dominate in the fast crew boat sector.

Prior to this vessel, the largest vessel HamiltonJet waterjets were used in was the 68.5m Gulf Craft-built crew boat Ms Netty.  This monohull, designed by Incat Crowther, also utilizes quad HT900 waterjets and has a top speed of 32 knots.  

HamiltonJet has not yet seen its largest waterjet model, the HT1000, fitted in a crew boat vessel.  But this waterjet model has proven its worth in the patrol boat sector, so as crew boat designs develop further and the size of vessels increases, HamiltonJet will continue to be the propulsion of choice.

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HAMILTONJET BUILDS 10,000 HJ212 WATERJETS

22nd April 2012

HamiltonJet Builds 10,000 HJ212 Waterjets


World leading waterjet manufacturer HamiltonJet has reached a significant production milestone with the recent completion of its 10,000th HJ212 waterjet model.  This achievement cements the HJ212 as one of the world’s most popular waterjet models, and highlights the on-going popularity of shallow river boating both recreationally and commercially, both in NZ and around the world.

At 215mm diameter the HJ212 is HamiltonJet’s smallest waterjet model, and is most commonly used to propel recreational craft from six to nine meters long and commercial “thrill-ride” tourist vessels carrying up to 20 people.  Waterjets provide shallow draught capability and enhanced manoeuvrability compared to other forms of marine propulsion, but the HJ212’s advantages over other waterjet models include excellent load carrying capabilities, simple and reliable design with low maintenance requirements, and high performance in a wide range of applications.  Normally driven by a marinised petrol engine and fitted with a high performance HamiltonJet “Turbo” impeller, the HJ212 is well capable of propelling a boat at over 100kph in as little as 50mm deep water or the most aerated of white water rapids.  Often a pair of HJ212 waterjets will be installed in larger and heavier hulls to increase performance and capability of the vessel.

HamiltonJet Publicity Officer Tony Kean says the HJ212 has been the benchmark waterjet for river boating for well over a decade.  “It was a significant step for the company to discontinue its very popular line of multistage waterjets for smaller river craft and replace with a larger diameter single stage model.  However, the market quickly embraced the new jet, and now, 17 years and 10,000 212s later, we can safely say it has maintained its popularity.”    

The first HJ212 was built in February 1995, and was later fitted into a NZ-built sprint racing boat sponsored by HamiltonJet and Shell.  Serial number 10,000 HJ212 is being installed into a 7m long Harbercraft 2375 jet boat built in Canada.  The majority of HJ212s in between have been sold into the Pacific NW of the US, with many others going to jet boats built in New Zealand as well as Canada and Australia.  HJ212 waterjets have also been installed into boats operating in the UK, Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia, Turkey, Mexico, Chile, Dubai, China and many other countries where river conditions require the shallow draft, safety and manoeuvrability only waterjet propulsion can provide.

Based in Christchurch New Zealand, HamiltonJet manufactures a range of 19 waterjet models, from the HJ212 up to the 1m diameter HT1000 model, and has delivered over 49,000 waterjets since it pioneered the development of modern waterjet propulsion in the 1950s.  The company specializes in waterjet propulsion for high speed work and patrol boats, ferries, SAR craft, pilot boats, crewboats and recreational vessels typically up to 60m long, and also manufactures hydraulic and electronic control systems specifically designed to enhance the capabilities of its waterjets.  The head office in NZ is backed up by Regional Offices in Europe, North America and Asia, and is supported globally by a team of highly skilled distributors to provide local level sales and service of HamiltonJet products wherever they are operated. 

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HT810 WATERJETS COMPLETED

4th May 2010

HamiltonJet Launches HT810 Model

Waterjet manufacturer HamiltonJet has completed assembly of the second model in its new HT series – the HT810. This model follows on from the success of the HT1000, launched in 2009, and partially bridges the gap between the popular HM811 model and the larger HT1000.  The HT810 incorporates a number of design improvements from previous models, that provide superior performance, reliability and serviceability compared to other similar sized waterjet units.

HamiltonJet Technical Manager Phil Rae says the company’s designers learned a lot from the HT1000 project, using this knowledge to refine the HT810 to make it easier to both manufacture and service in the field.  
“Through the development of the HT series we have been able to advance several new features of our waterjets, including one-piece casting of large impellers, compact and efficient reverse duct designs and improved servicing features” says Mr Rae.  “Many of these design elements are now flowing down to our other waterjet models.”

Not only does the HT810 mixed flow pump offer both improved efficiency and cavitation performance, with its new reverse duct design it has a reduced transom footprint for a jet of its size, enabling reduced jet centers required in narrow hulls or multi-jet installations. The HT810 is also supplied with a factory-built transition duct, eliminating the requirement for this to be fabricated by the boat builder and ensuring accurate geometry for the intake flow. As with all HamiltonJet waterjets, thrust forces are transferred to the transition duct and hull bottom rather than the transom, reducing the requirement for additional transom strengthening.

The HT810 also continues the long tradition of HamiltonJet innovation through several new design features. One such feature is a new arrangement for the positioning and attachment of sacrificial anodes to prevent corrosion.  Utilising a cartridge system all main internal anodes are able to be inspected and replaced without having to disassemble the jet unit.  This simplifies maintenance of the waterjet and reduces vessel downtime. Another new feature is the integrated tailpipe and steering nozzle housing, eliminating a bolted flange and reducing the overall length of the jet. The transom flange utilizes a compression seal that simplifies installation alignment and sealing.

The first pair of HT810s will be installed in a 34m vessel in Taiwan, powered by MTU 16V4000 M90 engines and be capable of over 30 knots.

HamiltonJet is also nearing completion of the HT model range with the first HT900 waterjets currently being manufactured.  These are scheduled to be assembled in June and shipped to the Gulf of Mexico for a new crewboat project.

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OFFSHORE MILESTONES FOR HAMILTONJET

4th May 2010

Milestones for HamiltonJet in Offshore Industry

The use of HamiltonJet waterjet propulsion units in crew boats and fast supply vessels has increased markedly in recent years as crew boat builders and operators recognise the many advantages of the propulsion system.  This year HamiltonJet reaches some significant milestones for the use of its waterjet products in the offshore industry.

Currently boatbuilder Gulf Craft in Louisianna, USA, is installing the 100th HamiltonJet HM811 waterjet to be used in a crew/supply vessel.  The vessel is one of three 58m monohull with five waterjets and 1300kW engines.  And with more recent orders HamiltonJet will have over 120 HM811 waterjets in service with the offshore industry by the end of the year - mainly in the Gulf of Mexico and West Africa.

The first crew/supply boat with HamiltonJet HM811 jets was the original Keith G McCall, launched by Gulf Craft in 2000.  Since then the company has supplied it largest HM series model to a wide variety of crew boat builders and operators, including Midship Marine, Piriou, Horizon, Island Boats, Seacor, Bourbon/Surf, Fymac, Rigdon and McCall.

In total, the HamiltonJet factory in New Zealand has manufactured over 220 HM811 waterjets since the first were installed in Canadian passenger ferry Famille Dufour II in 1997.  The majority have been quad installations, with a number of twins and triples as well as these new quin installations.

In the smaller HJ range of waterjets, the HamiltonJet HJ403 has become the workhorse in crewboats for the Bourbon Offshore Group.  Bourbon has purchased over 250 HJ403 waterjets for use in its international fleets of Surfer crewboats.  Built in France and Vietnam, the company produces several types of crewboats up to 28m long and with either twin, triple or quad HJ403 waterjets.  Most of these enter operation in the oil industries of Indonesia, Nigeria or Angola.

The HJ403 waterjet was introduced in 2003 to replace the HJ391, which was also used extensively by Bourbon Offshore.  Since then it has become one of HamiltonJet’s most popular models, with over 450 units manufactured and installed in a wide variety of work boats and pleasure craft.

The advantages of HamiltonJet waterjets in the crew boat and fast supply vessel sector are many.  Compared to conventional propeller systems waterjets provide greater reliability and reduced maintenance requirements by virtue of having no exposed parts to be damaged by debris and jets never overloading the engines, all of which results in higher vessel availability.  The high speed efficiency advantages and ability to travel at higher speeds when lightly laden reduces round trip duration and provides greater operational flexibility.

The exceptional manoeuvrability achieved with a HamiltonJet propelled vessel is a result of the highly effective steering and reverse systems integrated into the waterjet design, together with the rapid speed of control response.  These assist in providing a more stable platform during crew and cargo transfer, greater precision when manoeuvring close to rigs and reduced workload on engines and gearboxes when operating in DP mode.

Another major reason HamiltonJet is the preferred waterjet supplier to the offshore industry is the company’s extensive sales and support network, and specialist waterjet knowledge, which includes three regional offices and over 50 distributors globally.  This ensures HamiltonJet provides the best support for the duration of any project, from design and build, to commissioning, and throughout the vessel’s operating life – wherever it may be in the world.

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HT1000 JETS ENTER SERVICE

24th March 2009

HamiltonJet’s Largest Waterjet Units Enter Service


HamiltonJet’s newest and largest waterjet propulsion units have completed trails and entered service in a 55m Korean Coast Guard patrol vessel.  The first pair of HT1000 waterjets, each with an impeller diameter of 1.2m, were delivered to Korea early in 2008, with the boat launched and sea trials conducted in November.  The vessel exceeded all target speeds during trials.

Each of the Korean Coast Guard (KCG) 300 tonne class vessels is fitted with a pair of fully controllable HT1000 waterjets, as well as a pair of slightly smaller HamiltonJet HM811 boost jets (no steering or reverse control).  All four waterjets are driven by 3700hp MTU engines and provide a maximum boat speed of over 36 knots.  At full speed each HT1000 waterjet pumps 11 cubic meters of water per second.

New Zealand-based waterjet manufacturer HamiltonJet has been supplying waterjets to the KCG for many years.  “Currently the KCG have over 120 vessels fitted with HamiltonJet waterjet units,” says Mike Shearer, Global Sales & Marketing Manager for HamiltonJet.  “For this project a much larger waterjet than those in the existing product range was required to allow the vessel to patrol at over 20 knots on the outer jet units alone.”  The central boost jets are only used for high speed operations. The HT1000 was designed specifically for this, and is a different hydrodynamic design from HamiltonJet’s other waterjet models.


HamiltonJet Technical Manager Phil Rae says the pump design for the HT1000 was developed using HamiltonJet’s in-house computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, and a complete scaled prototype unit was tested in the company’s high speed test boat and hydrodynamic test facility. “For the full scale unit, the design, structural analysis, simulation and production tooling development was almost exclusively computer based,” says Mr Rae.  “This allowed for ‘virtual’ trial assembly and seamless manufacturing integration.”

In manufacturing the HT1000, HamiltonJet has expanded its aluminium and stainless steel casting facilities, and developed new casting technology to improve product quality and reduce manufacturing time.

To date HamiltonJet has delivered four shipsets of HT1000 waterjets to the shipyard in Pusan, Korea.  Contract negotiations are underway for additional waterjets to be delivered over the next two years.  HamiltonJet is also assessing the viability of other HT series waterjets for workboat projects around the world.

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