We are always in the lookout for new designs from the commercial end of seafaring. This oil rig standby vessel has a fascinating bow shape for working in the North Sea. Note how fine she is forward. There is none of the voluminous flare typically associated with commercial designs.

This is the second new wave piercing style of ship we have seen this summer (the other was a much larger oil rig supply vessel in Bergen, Norway).

Here is a close up. There is just a hint of flare at the shear to help shed water.

We asked around Lerwick to find out what the locals thought and what they had heard. Comments were mixed as you would expect in a conservative sea going society. But most had to do with the appearance. The word around the waterfront is that this is a comfortable vessel when the North Sea is acting up (which it does with a high degree of regularity).

One thing to keep in mind with wave piercing bows (and hulls in general), the ends need to balance. Reduced forward volume must to be followed by finer stern sections. Otherwise, when the wave reaches the stern it forces the back end up and the bow down into the next sea.