Posted on January 23, 2019
A Hamburg order for two plug-in hybrid 32m fire-fighting boats has gone to Damen in Holland, writes Tom Todd.
Damen Shipyards in Gorinchem won the contract for the boats – designated LB30 and together worth some €19.5 million – from the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). They follow the 43.5m fire-fighting ship Branddirektor Westphal – LB40 – completed late last year for HPA and the Hamburg Fire Brigade for €18 million and billed as the most modern and powerful boat of its kind in Europe.
It was built by Germany’s specialist Fassmer Shipyard and, although tenders for the smaller follow-up boats were invited from throughout Europe, it is believed HPA had hoped to order them at Fassmer also. However one report said the price was too high.
HPA spokeswoman Silje Pangritz told Maritime Journal the identical, multi-functional Damen newbuilds are for delivery during 2020 to operate from 2021. The first boat will be in full-time charter with the Hamburg Fire Brigade and the second will be used by the HPA for work like bridge inspection. They will be 8m wide, draw 1.5m and have room for 16 firefighters.
No specific engine details were initially released, but the HPA said the boats would have plug-in hybrid propulsion systems. They would be capable of operation either with eco-friendly Diesels equipped with catalytic converters and particle filters or electrically, using batteries charged on-board from Diesel generators, or on land using eco-friendly shore power plants. Boat speed was given as about 12 knots.
Damen already offers a fire-fighting vessel Model 2406 in its product programme and sold one of those 23.9 x 6m boats to Bremen in 2012 for €4.5 million as Bremen 1. That boat is powered by Cat C12 and Cat 18 main engines and Ultrajet 410 and 451 waterjets. Branddirektor Westphal is also powered by Caterpillar C18 main engines and has Schottel SRP190 rudder propellers.
The latest newbuilds will have a water cannon capacity of 30,000 litres a minute over 110m. That makes them much less powerful than Branddirektor Westphal but more capable than earlier 20m boats. HPA notes however that because of their smaller size they will operate in parts of Hamburg which the bigger ship cannot reach.
Source: Maritime Journal
