The ferry is being constructed at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead. The shipyard having made a commitment to keep most of the build within the Liverpool City Region by sourcing and using as many local businesses as possible.

The above pictures show the launch of a new catamaran workboat, the ‘Réalt na Farraige’, a boat built to service the aquaculture sector. The Réalt na Farraige (Irish for ‘Star of the Sea’) was lowered into the water for the first time on 5th March 2022.

At 74m in length, the vessel will provide 265 lane metres of roll-on/roll-off freight capacity and will carry up to 12 passengers. The ship was designed for freight traffic and constructed specifically to provide additional year-round freight capacity for Red Funnel’s Southampton-East Cowes route.

The largest valve used in the construction of this vessel for the British Antarctic Survey, a DN800 electrically actuated Lloyds witness tested gate valve was supplied by LK Valves & Controls. This unique valve will be situated on the bottom of the ship’s hull and will be used by research staff to deploy the latest scientific instrumentation directly through the valve into the sea through the bottom of the ship’s hull.

Built in the UK for the Department of Defense Eire, each vessel is 90 meters long and designed to carry a crew of 44 with additional space for up to 10 trainees. The ships’ published cruising speed is 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph), with a top speed of 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph).

The plant expansion was required to increase the customers manufacturing capability. It involved the supply of 30 x DN200 and 15 x DN300 concentric rubber lined butterfly valves with Flucast AB/E (bonded) seat and peak coated disc supplied by LK Valves & Controls.

LK Valves & Controls were invited to participate in the tender process for the supply of valves for the prestigious new build aircraft carriers contract for the UK MoD.

This environmentally-friendly, 102 metre vehicle passenger ferry is the first of two vessels which are the first LNG fuelled ferries designed and constructed in the UK. Each vessel can transport up to 1,000 passengers and up to 127 cars.

The tugs have Voith Schneider propulsion which makes them highly manoeuvrable and able to change the direction and thrust almost instantaneously while guiding large vessels safely into ports.