Developed from Nigel Irens Design’s experience with ocean racing multihulls and record-breaking power trimarans like the 21.3m (70ft) ILAN Voyager 21 and the 35m (113ft) Brigitte Bardot (ex-Cable & Wireless), the 43m (141ft) Ocean Eagle 43 trimaran will have a range of over 3,000 nautical miles and a top speed of 30 knots whilst burning around one-fifth of the fuel of an equivalent single hull OPV.
The first three Ocean Eagle 43’s will operate as fishery patrol vessels for a new fleet of 27 fishing vessels being built by CMN shipyard (Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie), in Cherbourg for the government of Mozambique.
Built in lightweight composites and powered by four 500hp engines, the 75 tonne vessel can be operated by eight crew or less offering a much lower cost of ownership, both in build and operation, than an equivalent single-hull ship without compromising the operational performance and ability to carry out effective patrols.
The Ocean Eagle 43 has a launch pad for fixed or rotary wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) up to 300kg, stowage for a 7m high performance RIB, optical and radar sensors, air-sea radio transmission of satellite data and a medium calibre remote controlled gun turret.
New solutions were needed to create a new type of vessel, suitable for patrol and control enforcement of sovereign sea-space over large areas and for long periods of time, accessible to countries with budget constraints.
The Ocean Eagle 43 project is a joint collaboration between Nigel Irens Design, ProLarge, SeaTeam Aviation and CMN shipyard, Cherbourg.