Turkish SAR craft to receive MTU engines

Rolls-Royce will supply MTU diesel engines for six new search and rescue vessels to be built by Damen Shipyards and operated by the Turkish Coastguard. Damen Shipyards has been awarded a contract by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Ankara to build the vessels which will each feature two eight-cylinder MTU Series 2000 engines. The boats will support ongoing operations to rescue migrants and refugees from crisis areas along the Turkish coast. They are designed to be self-righting, should they capsize, their MTU engines will keep on running even in the extreme event that the vessel completes a full 360° vertical roll around its longitudinal axis.

The six new vessels will be built by Damen Shipyards Antalya with the first delivery expected in May 2017 and the remainder by the end of the year. The vessels are designed and equipped to operate as lifeboats, and the aluminium hull is based on Damen’s Axe-Bow technology. The MTU 8V 2000 M84L engines enable a top speed of 33 knots for search and rescue operations.