Our field of expertise
Aquarius conversion
At Saltwater Engineering, we take pride in supporting maritime conversions that enhance operational capabilities. Especially when it is a vessel that we have originally designed. One such example is the transformation of the Aquarius-G, a former offshore supply vessel from the Dutch shipowner Groen which was acquired by the French State at the end of 2020. The vessel underwent significant modifications at the Socarenam shipyard to be refitted from a support vessel into a maritime patrol boat. The work primarily focused on installing davits to enable the launch of semi-rigid boats.
In March, 2022, the vessel arrived at its new home port in Le Havre, and it was officially named Jeanne Barret, in honor of the French explorer and botanist who became the first woman to circumnavigate the world during the Bougainville expedition (1766-1769). With a crew of 15 sailors, Jeanne Barret succeeds the maritime affairs vessel Armoise, which was previously based in Boulogne before being transferred to the Maritime Gendarmerie in Lorient in November 2021.
Saltwater Engineering was contracted to assist in the engineering required for the conversion. For the installation of the davits a calculation has been performed to check the structural integrity of the deck. In addition several drawings have been updated such as the general arrangement, safety & structural fire protection plan, and P&ID’s. The stability booklet has been updated as well due to these davits, together with a check for a large group of people on the aft deck who are rescued from the sea. As the lightship and center of gravity changed an inclination test has been performed to get the correct values for the stability calculation.
2010
Concept engineering
The Aquarius-G, and her sister vessel Astra-G, have been designed by Saltwater.
2011
Basic engineering
After the first concepts were ready the basic engineering started in 2011.
2012
Launch
The ships were launched at Crist (Poland) and sailed to Damen Maaskant (Netherlands) for outfitting.
2013
Sea Trials
The sea trails were successfully completed in 2013.
2020
Vessel Sold
The French state acquires the Aquarius-G from Rederij Groen.
2021
Conversion Engineering
Saltwater was contacted by the French State to perform the engineering for the conversion.
2022
Conversion completion
The conversion was completed and the vessel arrives at its home port in Le Havre (France).
Specific project data
Project information
Scope of work:
- General arrangement
- Installation of davits
- Intact stability
- Safety & structural fire protection plans
- Demolition & installation plans
- Update P&ID’s
Dimensions:
- Length 40.0 m
- Breadth 9.3 m
- Depth 4.6 m
- Speed 14 kn
- GT 499