Vessels for Trials and Training

As a working commercial diver and ROV training site, we have a range of vessels which are available for hire, either as part of your trial or for your training needs.

Air Diver II
ADII is a moon pool barge and is generally used for diver training here in Fort William and is fitted for air surface supplied and SCUBA diving:
- 23.8m x 6.75m
- Moon pool dimensions 6.75m x 5.10m
- Hawker BRF 280 diesel generator
- HP and LP compressors
- 300 floodable litres of HP storage
- One tonne winch and stage capable of lowering tools/ materials to divers.

Red Baron
Another of our moon pool barges, Red Baron is also used mainly for commercial diver training and is also fitted for air surface supplied and SCUBA diving, along with a two compartment deck decompression chamber rated for 50m chamber dives:
- 24.4m x 6.43m
- Moon pool dimensions 3m x 3m
- Deutz six cylinder diesel generator
- Ingersol Rand 20T LP tools compressor
- HP and LP compressors
- 280 floodable litres of HP storage
- 2.5 tonne hydraulic winch
- Air winch
- Man riding lifting equipment with 2.2 tonne SWL.

Talon
A dumb barge, Talon is specifically used by us for mixed gas diver training because she is fitted with a saturation diving system (24 cubic m) with external regeneration unit and closed bell (3.2 cubic m). Talon can also be used for SCUBA diving:
- 30m x 16.5m
- Two generators
- Hamworthy HP diving compressor
- 1600 floodable litres of HP storage
- 6.4 tonne hydraulic winch
- Lifting capacity for closed bell.

Loch Sheil
Our hard-working tug, Loch Sheil, has been recently refurbished and is a twin screw workboat with wheelhouse and cabin forward and a clear deck aft with a loading capacity of 12 tonne:
- 12m x 4.2m
- Two DAF DT 615M engines, 125bhp each at 2100rpm
- Towing winch
- VHF marine radio
- GPS
- Depth finder.

There are also two handy RIBs onsite, one is 5.5m and has a 60bhp engine and can carry 8 people. The other is a recently acquired Polycraft which is 7m long with twin 60bhp engines.

Ocean Bounty
Thanks to close local relationships, we have access to a survey vessel – Ocean Bounty – which is flexible for use either for diver or ROV training or as part of trials work being undertaken on Loch Linnhe:
- Survey vessel, converted Fair Isle trawler
- 22.4m x 6.1m
- Loadline length 21.05m
- Dinghy Bombard Typhoon 420 with Yamaha F9.9 outboard
- 10 berths forward; 4 berths aft
- 2 shower rooms and toilets
- 240V generator
- Hydraulic crane.

We benefit from strong and effective relationships with suppliers from all over the UK, so if we don’t have the equipment you require we can hire it in.

To find out more information about the various vessels we have, contact Dougie on +44 (0)1397 703 786 or email douglas@theunderwatercentre.co.uk