Palumbo Shipyard has completed the construction of the oil recovery vessel (ORV[ds_preview]), tug and supply vessel »Blu«. In the middle of 2011 Palumbo was able to conclude the contract for the completion of the vessel. In 2007 the shipping company Globeco Spa had started to let build the unit elsewhere. Only parts of the hull and the superstructure could be finished. The 38 m long and 10.6 m wide »Blu« (464 GT) has been designed to operate both as a tug with a maximum bollard pull of 63 t and an anti-pollution vessel. It has the following operating capabilities: coast patrolling, sea surface pollutants and oil-spill recovery with the means of built-in equipment, collection of floating and semi-submerged garbage from the sea surface, water monitoring, chemical analysis and sampling, marine life rescue (turtles, whales etc.), life rescue, fire fighting emergency response, towing service. Furthermore, the vessel can be fitted with a submarine for deep-sea work.
The oil recovery equipment includes a dispersant system with two lateral hydraulic arms, 400 m long inflatable booms, separators for high and low viscosity oil.
The vessel reaches a maximum speed of 13 kn, being equipped with two Caterpillar 3516B engines of 1,864 kW each, coupled through two reduction gears of Mekanord to two controllable pitch propellers in Kort nozzles from Helset.
