Unique German Customs boats get MAN power

The keels for the 23m x ca 6m all-aluminium Type FBF 23 boats have just been laid at Tamsen Maritim Werft in Rostock. Both they and their MAN twin-engine 12V D2862 LE438 V systems have been specifically tailored to cope with low draught operation in the shallow coastal waters (Wadden Sea) of the German North Sea.

Andre Lenz at Germany’s General Customs Directorate in Bonn told The Motorship the delivery of the first newbuild was expected in Spring 2022 and the second in December 2022. The boats are earmarked for service with Customs authorities in Hamburg.

Lenz added that no further boats of this type were currently planned.

However Claus Benzler, Head of Marine at MAN Engines reported it is the first time MAN had installed engines suitable for shallow-water operations into Customs boats.

Their shallow draught capability “greatly reduced the risk of low water grounding” he said. That’s something experienced regularly by ferries and supply ships serving north German offshore islands. The newbuilds would also enable a “more targetted and effective approach” by Customs, Benzler said.

He also noted that “in the development of our marine engines, we benefit from our Group’s know-how in the truck sector where “fuel consumption, reliability and smooth running are among the most important criteria”. They were also “considerably below average across a broad spectrum” in the new boats, Benzler said.

The MAN 4-stroke water-cooled Diesels have an output of 882 kW at 2,100 rpm and operate over ZF 3050 gears onto two, 5-blade bronze fixed propellers. In addition to LR class they also comply with current IMO Tier III emission standards by using SCR systems, also supplied by MAN.

Tamsen Maritime Managing Director Christian Schmoll said: “The compactness of the engines and MAN SCR systems and ultimately their excellent power-to-weight ratio were crucial factors” in meeting customer demands. Others were shallow draught operation and the high speeds necessary for inspection operations, he said.

German Customs operates a fleet of more than 30 vessels, from 14/15m jetboats to 24 and 28m patrol boats and SWATH cats. Lenz said the last time newbuilds had been added was in 2019 when three Type Patrol 24 WP wave-piercing boats entered service.

The 23.99m x 6.49m newbuilds – Bremen, Gelting and Darss – came from Baltic Workboats in Estonia and bear some clear similarities with the latest boats in that the Estonian boats are also for inshore coastal surveillance service and draw 1.5m.

The engines selected for each boat in in 2019 however were MTU 8V2000 M72 720kW units providing up to 27 knots. Reports at the time said they cost about EUR4 million apiece.