C.863 DIVING SUPPORT VESSEL

Part of the Diving Support Vessel category, this ship is deployed by the Tunisian authorities as part of the stabilization and pacification operations in North Africa and in the Mediterranean area. In particular, the vessel is used to train the Zarzis diving school students.

The Zarzis A710 is a 36-meter mono-hull boat able to carry 12 crewmen along with 18 divers. With a top speed of 17 knots and a cruising speed of 12 knots, the vessel is equipped with a compression chamber, a system to produce, purify and store breathable air and therapeutic gas, and a diving bell to transport divers into the water up to 100 metres deep. A sophisticated DP2 positioning system, combining the push of the main propellers with that of the bow thrusters, ensures the boat of maintaining the precise same position.  This equipment follows the main international standards and those of RINA, the Italian Naval Registry.

This Diving support vessel is equipped with a D.P.2 type Dynamic position system manifatured by one of the leading companies in this field (Kongsberg maritime srl).

The vessel is also equipped with a LARS (launch and recovery) system that enables the safe immersion and recover of the diving bell.

The diving bell is a semi-open structure holding up to 4 divers. Each diver has an umbilical cable that provides breathable gas supply, an audio-video communications and hot water supply to control body temperature. The structure can achieve the considerable operational depth of 100m.

A system for the production of breathable air and NITROX, a special breathing gas mix with a greater oxygen component than normal air, has been installed on board. This gas mix can increase diving times at average depths and contextually reduce the amount of nitrogen,  the main gas responsible for any decompression sickness, in the air.

Mono hull

Lower deck:

• n.2 crew cabin (1 x 4 + 1 x 2) with separate toilet and shower;
• n.2 diver cabin (1 x 4 + 1 x 2) with separate toilet and shower;
• n.1 officers mess room;
• n.1 crew and diver messroom;
• n.2 double cabin for officers with internal toilet and shower;
• n.1 cold store and one freezer store;
• n.1 galley.

Main deck:

• n.1 captain cabin with internal toilet and shower;
• n.1 chief engineer cabin with internal toilet and shower;
• n.1 diver cabin for 12 people with internal toilet and shower;
• n.1 first officer with internal toilet and shower;
• n.1 infirmary with internal toilet.

Two Fixed propellers.
n.2 bow thruster Romagnoli BTX 2500 – 132 kW ciascuno
n.2 stern thruster Romagnoli BTX 1500 – 75 kW ciascuno