Firefighting and rescue vessels were recently handed over to an inner city operator in Sweden and a port authority in Poland. Construction is meanwhile ongoing on new catamaran response craft for deployment in southern North Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Greater Stockholm Fire Service expands fast boat fleet
The Greater Stockholm Fire Service (Storstockholms Brandforsvar) has taken delivery of a new high-speed response boat from Swedish boat builder Marell.
Balder utilises the same design as that of a Marell interceptor boat, examples of which are in service with police departments within Sweden.
The new boat is fitted by three Volvo Penta D6-440 engines that deliver a speed of 45 knots even at full load. The centre engine may also be used to supply power for the onboard firefighting pump with a discharge rate of 3,000 litres per minute.
Balder may also perform secondary duties such as search and rescue, dive support, and oil spill response.
Polish port authority's newest response vessel enters service
Poland's Szczecin and Swinoujscie Seaports Authority recently introduced a new ice-class firefighting vessel into service.
Built at a shipyard in Gdansk, Strazak-28 has a length of 29.2 metres, a beam of 10.47 metres, and two pumps that can each discharge 2,700 cubic metres per minute. The vessel is also equipped for limited towing duties.
Strazak-28 will be operated as a standby response vessel whenever tankers conduct loading and unloading of flammable gases and liquids as well as other hazardous materials at the ports of Szczecin and Swinoujscie.
Construction underway on response landing craft for North Carolina's New Hanover County
Boat builder US Watercraft has been selected by New Hanover County Fire Rescue of southern North Carolina to construct a custom 30-foot (9.1-metre) aluminium catamaran fire/rescue vessel.
The vessel will also be fitted with a hydraulic bow door for deploying a quadbike. The catamaran can land on a beach to offload the vehicle in areas not easily accessible by road.
Delivery is scheduled for early 2023.
California's Alameda City taps Bay Area builder for new fireboat
Moose Boats, a boat builder based in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been awarded a new contract from the Alameda City Fire Department for the construction of an aluminium catamaran fireboat.
Power will be provided by two Cummins QSB6.7L diesel engines coupled to twin Hamilton HJX29 waterjets. The firefighting setup will include Darley pumps and four monitors.
The boat will also be fitted with a dive/recovery platform.
