Newbuild deliveries include patrol boats for the Singapore Police Force and a sheriff's department in the United States. Meanwhile, orders have been placed for interceptors for the Norwegian Police, border guard boats for Finland, and ocean-going patrol cutters for the US Coast Guard.
Singapore Police Force commissions new coast guard vessels
The Singapore Police Force commissioned its newest patrol vessels into service in a ceremony on Thursday, June 30.
Three different series of vessels were formally introduced into police service. These include PT-class and PC-class cabin boats and PJ-class rigid inflatable boats (RIBs).
All will be used by the police force for coast guard duties in Singapore's waters.
New patrol boat enters service with Minnesota sheriff's office
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota has begun operating a recently acquired patrol craft built by Lake Assault Boats of Wisconsin.
The 24-foot (seven-metre) newbuild features a "V" hull design engineered for smoother and more stable sailings. Power is provided by two Mercury 200hp (149kW) outboards that deliver a top speed of just over 43 knots.
The boat will have a secondary search and rescue (SAR) function. It is equipped with a full array of electronics, including a colour touchscreen monitor, GPS, and sonar.
Norwegian Police orders five Swedish-built interceptor RIBs
The Norwegian Police has awarded Marell Boats of Sweden a contract for the supply of five high-speed patrol and interceptor RIBs in a series.
The boats will each feature an aluminium hull, a central helm station, and capacity for 10 people including two crewmembers. Duties will include SAR, surveillance, boarding, and crew training.
The crew spaces will include a seating area with toilet and a small pantry. A low aft deck can meanwhile be used to accommodate divers, drones, life rafts, and injured survivors.
Two Mercury V12 engines will propel each boat to speeds in excess of 55 knots.
Deliveries will take place between the third quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. The boats will be deployed at five different locations in southern Norway.
Finnish Border Guard to get two Baltic Sea patrol vessels
Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku has been selected to build two new multi-purpose patrol vessels for use by the Finnish Border Guard.
The newbuildings will be operated primarily in the Baltic Sea following their deliveries during the 2025-2026 timeframe.
The signing of the shipbuilding contract comes within a year after the border guard and Meyer Turku entered into a letter of intent (LOI) for new vessels to replace the service's ageing patrol ships.
US Coast Guard awards contract for detail design and construction of 11 offshore patrol cutters
Austal USA has been awarded a contract with a potential value of US$3.3 billion for the detail design and construction of up to 11 offshore patrol cutters (OPC) for the US Coast Guard.
The first vessel has been contracted by the US Coast Guard, while options are available for a further 10 vessels.
Austal expects construction to commence in 2023. Construction of the OPCs will take place at the company's new US$100 million steel shipbuilding facility in Mobile, Alabama.
The steel OPCs will provide a capability bridge between the coast guard's Legend-class national security cutters that operate in the open ocean and the smaller Sentinel-class fast response cutters that operate closer to shore. The new OPCs will be capable of conducting a variety of missions including law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, and SAR operations.
With a range of 10,200 nautical miles at 14 knots and a 60-day endurance period, each OPC will be capable of deploying independently, or as part of task groups, and serving as a mobile command and control platform for surge operations such as hurricane response, mass migration incidents and other emergency events.
The OPCs will also support Arctic objectives by helping regulate and protect emerging commerce and energy exploration in Alaska.
