Port of Amsterdam names two new sustainable patrol vessels
On 18 April, Port of Amsterdam named two new sustainable patrol vessels designed and built by Damen Shipyards Group in Gorinchem. The official naming ceremony was performed by Port of Amsterdam CEO Dertje Meijer, who named the Pollux, and State Harbourmaster Janine van Oosten, who named the Castor, said in the port's press release.
The two vessels are replacing Patrol Vessel 7, Poseidon and Patrol Vessel 8, Hephaistos. The Port has a fleet totalling 5 patrol vessels, 1 fire-fighting vessel and 1 passenger vessel. The two new vessels are likely to be in service for the next 25 years.
The total fleet consists of:
• Patrol Vessel 1 – Castor (2013)
• Patrol Vessel 2 – V63 (1987)
• Patrol Vessel 3 – Triton (2006)
• Patrol Vessel 4 – Athena (2010)
• Patrol Vessel 5 – Pollux (2013)
• Fire-Fighting Vessel - (2001)
• Passenger boat, Motor Vessel MS Havenbeheer (1995)
Patrol vessels are deployed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The twin-screw surveillance and work vessels meet a wide variety of requirements, so that they can be deployed for traffic management, supervision, enforcement and use in emergencies in Amsterdam’s port area and Central Nautical Management area, which extends from IJmuiden as far as the Oranjesluizen locks in Amsterdam.
Vessels 1, 4 and 5 can be deployed to deal with emergencies and vessel 7 is suitable for providing additional support where a lot of water is required, e.g. in the event of fire. Vessels PA2 and PA3 are surveillance vessels which can be deployed for emergencies as floating command and operations platforms.
The vessels have been designed for sustainability. They have relatively environmentally friendly diesel engines and storage facilities for waste fluids. The wheelhouse is equipped with the latest technology. Each vessel weighs 100 tonnes, has a bollard pull of 16 tonnes and a maximum speed of 21 kilometres an hour. The engines have a combined power of 1,475 kW.
In these vessels, Damen adapted the layout of the wheelhouse to provide more space and improve visibility and ease of operation. In line with the optional packages Damen offers with its standard designs, the shipbuilder installed a fire-fighting system and additional gates in the bulwark to make it easy to board other ships and rescue casualties from the water.
During finishing work on the vessels, a relatively new anti-fouling film was used on the Pollux, Thorn-D manufactured by Micanti, which was applied to the hull below the waterline. This is a trial. The film has an expected service life of five years. The trial is interesting because another finishing product, anti-fouling paint has been used on its sister vessel, the Castor. This makes for an accurate comparison because both vessels are used in the same way in the same area. Port of Amsterdam believes it is important for the vessels to be safe and sustainable. These new vessels ensure that Port of Amsterdam is really well equipped to do its work in the years to come.
Shipping traffic is managed from the Port Operations Centre in IJmuiden. State Harbourmaster Janine van Oosten is in charge of overseeing the safe and smooth passage of shipping. She is also the harbourmaster of the Port of Amsterdam and director of Central Nautical Management, North Sea Canal Area, the joint arrangement within which the communities along the North Sea Canal cooperate. Another of her tasks is to work on behalf of and in cooperation with the Dutch Department of Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat). She is responsible for the area from the Oranjesluizen locks at Schellingwoude to about 12 miles off the coast of IJmuiden.
The port of Amsterdam is the fourth-largest port in Western Europe and plays an important part in the transhipment and processing of energy products. Each year, almost 100 million tonnes of goods pass through the North Sea Canal Area, of which about 75 million tonnes are transhipped in the port of Amsterdam. A total of 55,000 people are employed in the port region by businesses in the port or port-related businesses. Of these, about 23,000 are employed in Amsterdam.
Port of Amsterdam wants to be a smart port and add value for its customers and neighbours in a sustainable and innovative manner. The port authority wants to encourage business growth while being careful with the available space and water, soil and air quality. Port of Amsterdam intends to achieve this through close cooperation with partners in the business community, the city and the region.