Safehaven Marine have delivered an Interceptor 48 pilot boat to Fonnes Batservice of Norway.
As Afloat previously reported when the order was placed over a year ago, the new Pilot boat is Safehaven’s 41st pilot boat delivered and the 16th Interceptor 48 pilot. To comply with Norwegian regulations she features a new wheelhouse design featuring forward angled front windows and increased accommodation space in her main cabin.
Powered by a pair of Scania DI13 500hp rating 1 engines she had a max speed of 26kts on trials. Also fitted with Twin Discs Quickshift gearboxes and dynamic manoeuvring system working in conjunction with a powerful hydraulic bow thruster. As crew transfer, as well as pilotage, is part of her operational role she has seating for 9 persons in her main cabin and full live aboard facilities in a spacious forward accommodation area.
‘Maskulin’ arrived safely in Norway Sunday evening 1st December at 7 pm completing his 850nm delivery voyage in just 48hrs after departing Cork at 7 pm Friday evening. New owner and skipper Tommy Fonnes made amazing time, stopping for refuelling on the North East coast of Ireland, NorthWest Coast of Scotland and the Shetland Islands, and even though he had to contend with gale conditions and 3-4m seas Sunday in the North sea crossing, he was able to maintain a 23-knots cruise speed, and using just 65L/hr each engine ‘Maskulin’ proved to be very economical.
The Interceptor 48 delivery crew with new owner Tommy Fonnes (left) and Safehaven CEO Frank Kowalski (second left)
Whilst in Ireland and in preparation for his wintertime delivery voyage with commitments necessitating no departure delay and anticipating some inevitable heavy weather on route in the North Sea, we thoroughly tested her together in a winter storm that hit Southern Ireland where she proved to have excellent seakeeping in the 6m seas and 45kts wind the storm delivered, as seen in the accompanying photos, with Tommy at the helm himself commenting afterwards “Maskulin’s handling and seakeeping during the trials was fantastic, I am really delighted with her, Safehaven Marine did a great job building her, just as they did with my wildcat 53 ‘Feminin’ which has been perfect during the last 5 years for me”.
Maskulin is also fitted with a Humphree full interceptor stabilisation system, which proved excellent in reducing roll and pitching and proved itself on the delivery voyage.
