Hamburg Port Authority orders two more fire-fighting vessels

Following the delivery of Europe’s most modern fireboat, the "Branddirektor Westphal", the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) has ordered two more fire-fighting vessels. As with the previous order, both vessels will be fitted with SCHOTTEL thrusters – in this case, two SCHOTTEL Rudderpropellers and one SCHOTTEL Transverse Thruster. These will enable maximum manoeuvrability in the restricted fairway of the Port of Hamburg, the company said in its release.
 
This mobility is also guaranteed in situations that require fast response times. The special vessels, operated by Flotte Hamburg, a wholly owned subsidiary of the HPA, are currently under construction at Damen Shipyards.
 
Each of the fireboats features two rudderpropellers type SRP 150 L FP (380 kW each) with a propeller diameter of 1.10 m and a transverse thruster type STT 60 FP (100 kW). Each of these is driven by an electric motor. The rudderpropellers type SRP 150 are equipped with SCHOTTEL’s new highly efficient SDC40 nozzle. This thruster configuration achieves a free running speed of 12 knots.
 
The two new vessels will primarily be used for fighting ship fires in the Port of Hamburg and for supplying fire-fighting water to industrial plants located at the port. In addition to the fire brigade’s technical duties, the two ships will also be used for other HPA fleet management tasks, such as bridge inspections and material transports. They will have a water cannon capacity of 30,000 litres a minute over 110 m and have accommodations for 16 firefighters.
 
Both fire-fighting boats are to be delivered at the end of 2020 and will start service in the Port of Hamburg in 2021.