Blog

A ‘jet drive’ in the marine industry is a water pump that generates a high speed jet of water which is ejected through a nozzle that has directional control for steering. This creates a thrust force pushing the vessel forward as a propeller would do. There is also a ‘bucket’ which deflects the jet ofContinue reading "What is a ‘Jet Powered Vessel’ and why do we use them?"

With a total inventory of over 60 petrol outboard engines in our fleet, we at Commercial Rib Charter have kept a close eye on how the diesel outboard market has developed over recent years. Petrol outboards are very advanced these days, with lean fuel burn, sleek lightweight designs and good reliability, but ultimately diesel isContinue reading "Could diesel outboards transform our fleet?"

Introducing the ‘Mission Control’ bridge on CRC Sentinel! Our newest vessel to the CRC fleet is CRC Sentinel, a top spec dive support vessel featuring a 4-point anchor spread, 3 diver air/nitrox dive panel and virtually all equipment supplied as standard – perfect for cable landings, marine salvage, quay repairs, and wind farm support. SentinelContinue reading "Introducing the ‘Mission Control’ bridge on CRC Sentinel!"

Work is well and truly underway of our new 13 meter Amphibious Crew Transfer Vessel (ACTV), named ‘CRC Walrus’! All of the materials have arrived at Diverse Marine in Cowes, Isle of Wight and the hull construction is currently progressing well. The twin OXE 300hp diesel outboards have also arrived and are ready to fit.Continue reading "CRC Walrus May 2022 Build Update"

Commercial Rib Charter operate a fleet of CTV’s (Crew Transfer Vessels).  With three catamarans and a fleet of shallow draft 12 Pax Cabin Ribs we can fulfil most requirements – in fact, with the addition of an amphibious vessel we think we can now fulfil almost every requirement. So what is a Summer Campaign inContinue reading "Summer Campaign Crew Transfer Vessels"

Commercial Rib Charter frequently provide vessels for Cable Shore End landings, most often in the UK but also in Europe. You will see our services at the shore end landings include Dive Support Vessels, often utilising CRC Sentinel with her 4-point anchor spread and built-in surface supply dive kit. Crew Transfers are frequently provided byContinue reading "New ‘Bow Push Modules’ for CRC Open Ribs for Shore End Cable Landings"

Firstly, Happy New Year to you all! It’s been all systems go here at Commercial Rib Charter and our ops team have been working their way through our entire fleet maintenance schedule. One by one, each vessel receives routine maintenance checks and planned maintenance in preparation for the season ahead but in addition to this we alsoContinue reading "CRC lastest maintenance news"

Over the last few years we have been asked more and more from clients what the ‘bollard pull’ of our vessels are. Bollard pull is a measurement of pulling or towing power of a vessel, defined in tonnes. This term is typically used to describe how much force a tugboat can apply to a ship.Continue reading "What is ‘bollard pull’ and how do we test for it on our fleet?"

We are frequently asked, do you have any job opportunities at Commercial Rib Charter and if so, what qualifications do I need to hold? Please see below the minimum qualification requirements below: Freelance Skippers RYA Yachtmaster Offshore – Must be Commercially Endorsed or MCA Master 200 (preferable) STCW95 Basic Training – Firefighting, First Aid, PSSRContinue reading "How do I join the CRC freelance team?"

The off-season gives us the perfect opportunity to give each vessel in our fleet some much needed TLC. This winter we have yard periods lined up for two of our catamarans, CRC Gladiator and CRC Vulcan for major waterjet refurbishments and engine servicing, whilst CRC Galaxy and CRC Voyager will be undergoing mini refits followingContinue reading "Winter Maintenance"

It might be nearing the end of the summer season but it’s still all systems go here at CRC and we thought we would give you an update on what’s been going on. A busy and successful summer has seen virtually every vessel in the fleet put to use all around the country, from LondonContinue reading "Busy Season"

It’s been a busy few months for most of our vessels, especially our Cable Pull support boats. Whilst Commercial Rib Charter leave the actual cable laying process to the specialists, we are on hand and highly experienced in supporting with the many integral stages that ensure these projects come together and run efficiently. With this in mind,Continue reading "CRC Cable laying support"

In November 1120, after four years fighting the French, the most formidable ruler in Europe, King Henry I set sail on his return voyage to England.  His retinue set sail first followed by The White Ship which was carrying the only legitimate male heir to the throne, William AEtheling along with 350 of the mostContinue reading "The White Ship – Shipwreck expedition"

It’s been a busy start to the season at Commercial Rib Charter, and we are very excited to announce the launch of our latest vessel, ‘CRC Sentinel’. In February we gave you a sneak preview, and now here she is… commissioned, coded and ready to go.                  Continue reading "Introducing CRC Sentinel"

The UK’s wind industry hit the headlines last month for giving us our ‘greenest’ Easter bank holiday on record, with wind and solar energy providing 60% of our electricity needs on what was an exceptional sunny and windy weekend. On average in 2020, wind energy alone accounted for nearly a third of our total electricityContinue reading "CRC at the heart of a booming industry"

Here at Commercial Rib Charter we pride ourselves on having one of the best and most diverse commercial vessel fleets in Europe together with over twenty years of experience. In recent years we have expanded our fleet considerably and having responded to client requests and industry evolution’s, have a more wide-ranging fleet than you mightContinue reading "A more diverse fleet than you might think…"

Giving a sneak preview of our latest vessel to join the Commercial Rib Charter fleet – CRC Sentinel, a purpose-built Dive Support Vessel. With a launch date planned for the beginning of April 2021, CRC Sentinel enters the CRC fleet as a multipurpose vessel capable of surface supply diving operations and crew transfer work. The 19.4m Alicat vessel is installed withContinue reading "CRC Latest News – CRC Sentinel"

A site visit is exactly what it says on the tin, visiting a location which is new to you, in order to gain information at a site which you are hoping to offer your services from. For us at Commercial Rib Charter, these are invaluable. Before any vessel from our fleet is mobilised for aContinue reading "What’s involved in a ‘site visit’ and can they benefit us?"

Since being recently awarded with several projects on the East Coast of the UK, Great Yarmouth has become home to a few vessels from the CRC fleet. We are currently working on various different projects meaning the vessels can have a wide range of working hours and shift patterns. Finding local suppliers for certification orContinue reading "A new fiery relationship"

What is PLA Certification? A PLA Certificate of Compliance is a marine certificate issued by the Port of London Authority. The PLA are responsible for the licencing of inland waterways and vessels operating commercially on the tidal Thames. All commercial vessels operating, working or mooring on or within the Port of London limits are requiredContinue reading "PLA Certification"

Commercial Rib Charter have spent the past 18 years developing their operations afloat and expanding their services to cater for a wider range of clients. However, in 2019 CRC have introduced themselves to a sector completely new to the team, Commercial Drone Operations. Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as they are also known areContinue reading "Commercial Drone Operations"

Our vessels are all meticulously maintained and serviced to a precise schedule but things can still occasionally go wrong. Unfortunately this happened last month, not once but twice! Here’s how our team were able to adapt and overcome the challenges they were faced with. The first test they were faced with was when CRC GalaxyContinue reading "It’s all about pro-activeness and good supplier relationships."

Surface-supplied diving is diving in water using equipment supplied with breathing gas using a diver’s umbilical from the surface, either from the shore or from a diving support vessel. Surface supply diving is very different to Scuba diving where a diver wears self-contained breathing apparatus.  There are some obvious advantages to surface supply diving to scuba.  Risk to divers is considered far lowerContinue reading "What is Surface Supplied Diving?, and how can CRC help?"