Testing – ISSG New Vessels

The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group’s new purpose-built freight vessel, Menawethan, has successfully entered the sea trials phase in Vietnam, marking a significant milestone in the ship’s construction.

Sea trials are a critical stage in the build programme, during which the vessel’s performance, manoeuvrability, propulsion and onboard systems are rigorously tested at sea to ensure they meet design specifications and international standards.

Gry Maritha Master Tom Sexton and Technical Superintendent Luke Parnell have travelled to Vietnam for the sea trials, in collaboration with Piriou shipyard and the classification society, Lloyds Register.

Menawethan will sail from the shipyard down the Nha Be river to Vung Tau. The sea trials will be conducted off the coast of Vung Tau in the South China Sea, within 20 miles of the shore.

Following the successful completion of sea trials, Menawethan will undergo final fit-out and certification before making her delivery voyage to the UK ahead of entry into service.

Stuart Reid, Chief Executive of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, said: “The commencement of sea trials represents an important step towards bringing Menawethan into service later this year. The vessel has been designed specifically to meet the needs of the islands, and we are pleased to see her performing well at this crucial stage.”

Once complete, Menawethan will provide a modern, reliable and resilient freight service for the Isles of Scilly, replacing Gry Maritha to deliver essential goods and supplies to the islands year-round.

The state-of-the-art vessel includes a range of improvements, including a much-enhanced cargo capacity and an improved capacity for perishable, chilled and frozen goods, meaning that supplies can be transferred between the mainland and the islands more reliably all year round. It will also have a passenger lounge with accommodation for 12 passengers.

Menawethan has been designed with improved operational efficiency and modern safety features, ensuring it is well suited to serve the unique requirements of the Isles of Scilly for decades to come.

It is being constructed alongside Scillonian IV, the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group’s new passenger vessel, which is scheduled to enter service in 2027. Together, the two new vessels represent a £40m investment in the future of the islands’ lifeline transport links, ensuring modern, resilient and fit-for-purpose freight and passenger services for the Isles of Scilly.

The bow megablock for Scillonian IV is now structurally complete and has been relocated to the head of the dock. Moving it away from the main construction and painting areas keeps them cleaner, ready for the blasting and painting of the megablock to take place.

Meanwhile, rigorous hose testing is underway on Menawethan’s watertight doors. A jet of water is directed over the door seals and windows to confirm they are watertight and the structure unaffected by the heat of welding, with inspectors checking from inside to ensure every seal holds firm.

The vessel’s doors are fitted with a “common dog” system, meaning a single lever operates all securing points at once, adding both safety and efficiency.

Following his earlier visit to inspect the manufacture of electrical cabinets and consoles for our new vessels, Project Manager Chris Lingham returned to IPE’s factory in Vietnam yesterday for the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) of Menawethan’s electrical distribution boards.

Joined once again by Piriou’s electrical quality control manager, Chris’s visit marked another key milestone confirming everything is built to specification and ready for integration at the shipyard.

A surveyor from our classification society, Lloyd’s Register, was also on site to inspect the equipment, witness the tests, and issue formal approval certificates.

Our New Vessels Project Manager Chris Lingham recently visited IPE’s factory in Vietnam, just a few hours from the main shipyard, to inspect the manufacture of electrical distribution cabinets and consoles for our new vessels.

The visit enabled Chris and representatives from PIRIOU shipyard, including the electrical quality control manager, to verify the quality of the equipment and conformance with specification, together with the opportunity to provide input with any minor modifications that may be required, prior to delivery to the shipyard.

The high quality of the electrical control cabinets and the main control console for Scillonian IV’s engine control room can be seen in the images.

IPE are also contracted to manufacture the consoles for the wheelhouses on both vessels, and we are proud to be working with expert teams like IPE, to support our build program.

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Our new vessel project manager, Chris Lingham, travelled to Concarneau, France this week to oversee a key milestone in the Scillonian IV build – Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) at Actemium (BARILLEC S.A.S.)

The visit focused on testing key electrical systems, including:

Main and emergency switchboards – providing power management, control of power generation and distribution of electrical power.
Hybrid motor and shaft generator – providing the electric propulsion element for the ship and enabling electrical power generation from the running main engines.
Bow thrusters – providing transverse thrust of the bow, essential for safe manoeuvring of the vessel.
Integrated platform management system (IPMS) – Automation and control system for the vessels machinery and systems, including remote monitoring and alarms. This system provides the interface between a lot of the ship’s machinery and the operator.

Each component plays a critical role in delivering a modern, resilient and future-ready passenger vessel.

This visit marks another step forward as construction continues – on time and on course for 2026.

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The essential auxiliary equipment hydraulic power systems, designed and built in Falmouth, Cornwall by Armada Engineering, underwent successful factory testing ahead of shipping to Vietnam and installation on board Scillonian IV and Menawethan.

These systems will power key machinery like the tunnel thrusters, windlass, cargo hold hatch, cargo crane, cargo pallet hoist and side door on Menawthan and the windlass and gangway davits on Scillonian. Our project manager, Chris Lingham, joined representatives from Lloyd’s Register, Piriou and ISSG to witness the Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) and confirm performance to specification.

Factory acceptance tests (FATs) for both vessels have been progressing with the controllable pitch propellers and propeller shafts (x2) for Scillonian IV being fabricated and tested in Wuxi, China.

The Hull Vane for Scillonian IV has been fabricated and shipped from the Netherlands.

The steering gear for Menawethan has been built and tested in Penryn, Cornwall.

The propeller shafts (2) for Menawethan have been fabricated and shipped from Balino, Spain.

The electrical switchboards for Menawethan have been fabricated and tested in Concarneau, France.

The factory acceptance tests include testing of the machinery safety systems and performance of the equipment enabling any issues to be identified before the machinery is delivered to the shipyard.

Classification Society surveyors, Lloyd’s Register, attend the FATs for all the major machinery and auxiliary equipment, such as the main engines, generators, electrical switchboards, gearboxes, etc and issue certificates on completion of satisfactory tests, as part of the supply chain quality assurance process.

Piriou and ISSG attend the factory acceptance tests to verify the performance of the machinery and confirm that it functions correctly and in accordance with specification. Should there be any issues, these can be addressed and resolved prior to the machinery being delivered to the shipyard.

It’s been a busy start to 2025 for several members of the project team who have been travelling around Europe visiting suppliers.

Chris Lingham and Scillonian III marine engineer Sam Noye have been in Nantes, France, visiting Mecatlantic, to attend factory acceptance tests for some of the electrical generator sets for both Scillonian IV and Menawethan.

Chris then travelled to Ghent, Belgium, for the factory acceptance tests (FAT) of the first main engine for Scillonian IV at the ABC factory on Friday 10th January. He then went to Bergen, Norway, to attend FAT for the pallet hoist control system, manufactured by MacGregor, before returning to Ghent for FAT of the second main engine for Scillonian IV, on Friday 17th January.

Sam remained in Nantes to complete the FAT for the generators with Mecatlantic.

Scillonian III Master Dave Redgrave and Gry Maritha Master Tom Sexton have been in Poland visiting MacGregor, the factory making the pallet hoist and side door for Menawethan and witnessing the FAT.

The factory acceptance tests include testing of the machinery safety systems and performance of the equipment enabling any issues to be identified before the machinery is delivered to the shipyard. Our classification surveyors, Lloyd’s Register, will attend the FATs for the main engines, generators, electrical switchboards, gearboxes, etc and issue certificates on completion of satisfactory test, as part of the supply chain quality assurance process.

Piriou and ISSG attend the factory acceptance tests to verify the performance of the machinery and confirm that it functions correctly and in accordance with specification. Should there be any issues, these can be addressed and resolved prior to the machinery being delivered to the shipyard.

Articles

Menawethan begins sea trials in Vietnam

Vietnam Shipyard updates

Progress powering ahead for Menawethan

IPE’s factory visit in Vietnam

Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) at Actemium (BARILLEC S.A.S.)

Testing hydraulic power systems

Factory acceptance tests

Building work progressing on new vessels