New design safety vessel fights on all fronts

Arbeitsgemeinschaft Küstenschutz (coastal protection working group) ? set up by the towing companies Bugsier, Transport & Service, Fairplay and URAG ? has, in cooperation with SSW Fähr- und Spezialschiffbau, developed a new concept in safety vessels. Drawing on the modular design approach of naval warships, the design offers three optional power plants, providing bollard pulls of 180, 220 or 250t.

Concept leader Carsten S. Wibel of Transport & Service told The Motor Ship that the basic propulsion system of all three versions consists of two diesel-electrically driven pods. The 220 and 250t models will additionally be fitted with a kort nozzle located along the ship?s centre line. It is planned to equip the 95m long and 20m wide vessel with two MTU engines in two separate and independently operated engine rooms. The engine output for the 180t version is 16,000kW, giving a speed of 17 knots.

Variable draught

A high ballast capacity of 3,000t will enable a 2m change in draught in 20 minutes. This will enable the safety vessel to undertake salvage jobs in shallow waters off the coast and to carry out towage work using maximum draught in order to improve the pulling power of the propellers.

The ship is designed to carry out salvage manoeuvres in heavy weather and wind up to force 12. For salvage operations, the vessel will have two towing winches installed, each fitted with a 1,200m long towing line so that the reserve line can be connected within a short period if the first one should break.

The emergency response vessel is designed for four fire fighting pumps with a total capacity of 9,600m3 per hour. Four water guns of 2,400m3 each and two foam guns will enable it to fight fires in accordance with Germanischer Lloyd notifications FF1 to FF3, i.e. ?persistent fighting of large fires?. As designed, the vessel is capable of operating in a hermetically sealed condition to fight gas fires as well as being fitted with a water spray system.

Up to 1,500 persons

A permanent crew of 14 can be supplemented by a salvage team of four. There is accommodation for up to 60 personnel for special tasks. In addition, 450 persons can be kept safe in the accommodation area. The maximum number of persons that can be rescued is a staggering 1,500. Up to nine seriously injured persons can be treated by 15 paramedics and four of the nine emergency facilities will be capable of treating persons injured by fire or suffering from acid burns. The medical equipment also includes a decompression chamber.

Additional specialists such as doctors, fire fighters, divers, dangerous cargo specialists etc., can be taken to the vessel by helicopters of up to Sea King/NH90 size, for which a deck is fitted above the forecastle. A sea dimming facility will make the landing of helicopters possible during storms up to force 9. The operational range of the helicopters can be extended by re-fuelling facilities onboard.