Jack Gifford creates Cornish work horse for Seawide Services

In response to a brief from Falmouth firm Seawide Services to augment and futureproof its current fleet of high-speed work platforms, Penryn-based naval architect, Jack Gifford Marine Design Studio designed the 15m workcat, Obervargh – the Cornish word for ‘work horse’.

Built at Falmouth Wharves by Mark and Loz Shipwrights from Perranarworthal, the design brief was for the craft to cater for a diverse range of functions in challenging marine conditions.

“Seawide Services’ diving team maintains a huge number of moorings, so we incorporated a heavy-duty bow roller within the design to enable the lifting of giant granite mooring blocks,” explains Gifford. “The vessel also required a deck load capacity of up to 20 tonnes for the delivery of crew and supplies to ships at anchor in Falmouth Bay, a large winch for towing and salvage jobs, a Hi-Ab deck crane for on-site lifting, spud legs for working in shallow waters, crew accommodation, and large fuel tanks to provide UK coastal range.

Credit: Jack Gifford

“Incorporating all of these specifications into a useful and MCA-compliant package required a lot of careful design. MultiCats are by their very nature versatile, but Obervargh is particularly well-suited to the multi-faceted operations that Seawide Services undertakes.”

“Obervargh has already completed many sea miles and worked in the toughest environments around the coastline of the UK, and we are delighted with the outcome of this collaboration,” says Brendan Rowe from Seawide Services.