VESSEL REVIEW | Balder – Greater Stockholm Fire Service adds response boat to fleet

Sweden's Greater Stockholm Fire Service (Storstockholms Brandforsvar) has taken delivery of a new high-speed response vessel from local builder Marell Boats.

Balder utilises the same design as that of a Marell interceptor boat, examples of which are in service with police departments within Sweden. Although built primarily for firefighting, the boat may also perform secondary duties such as search and rescue, dive support, and oil spill response under a range of weather conditions from high summer temperatures to mild winter conditions characterised by ice-free waters.

The new boat has an aluminium hull, an FRP superstructure, an FRP/composite deck, an LOA of 14.65 metres, a beam of 3.99 metres, a draught of 1.2 metres, a displacement of 10,000 kilograms, and capacity for 17 crew and passengers and up to 2,000 kilograms of assorted payloads. A fender made of closed PE foam with PU coating guarantees impact protection for the hull when manoeuvring alongside other vessels.

Power is provided by three Volvo Penta D6-440 328kW outboard engines fed by a 1,600-litre tank. The centre engine may also be used to supply power for the onboard firefighting pump with a water discharge rate of 3,000 litres per minute.

The boat can easily be kept in position via joystick control of the port and starboard engines even as the centre engine is completely decoupled from the propulsion. This arrangement allows the boat to be manoeuvred and positioned as needed so that the crew can easily relocate to optimal areas on the water when rendering firefighting assistance.

Fully loaded, the vessel can reach a top speed of just over 45 knots, which means that it can quickly sail from its homeport at the Åkersberga fire station to anywhere within the Stockholm Archipelago. At a cruising speed of 35 knots, the boat can cover up to 360 nautical miles.

The boat is also equipped with a removable water monitor on the foredeck as well as two additional outlets for hose connections, one on the foredeck and one on the aft deck by the cabin. The firefighting pump can draw water directly from underneath the boat, ensuring a continuous supply during emergency response missions of extended duration.

Balder is fitted with a ramp at the bow for disembarking and for embarking people or a stretcher. A front stair hatch allows direct access to the bow with the stretcher, which means that the boat can be deployed for medical evacuation missions even in areas with inadequate jetty infrastructure. The large, low aft deck can be used for diving operations and oil spill response activities, particularly the laying of bilges.

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