VESSEL REVIEW | Oscar Tybring V – Versatile rescue boat for north-eastern Norwegian waters

The Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (Redningsselskapet; RS) has taken delivery of a new rescue boat from Swedish builder Swede Ship Marine.

Oscar Tybring V is the fifth rescue boat to be named in honour of Oscar Tybring, a Norwegian author and physician who founded the search and rescue (SAR) organisation that would later become RS. The new boat is homeported in Oslo but will be operated primarily out of Vardo Municipality, enabling it to provide SAR coverage for the coastal waters of north-eastern Norway even under severe weather and sea conditions.

The DNV-classed Oscar Tybring V has an LOA of 24.75 metres, a beam of 6.9 metres, a draught of 2.4 metres, and seating for four crewmembers and four other personnel in a wheelhouse installed on flexible mounts for reduced noise and vibration.

Two MTU 16V2000 M72 engines that each produce 1,440 kW turn Helseth controllable-pitch propellers via ZF 5050 gearboxes to deliver a speed of 29 knots and a bollard pull of 23.5 tonnes. A Sleipner 60kW bow thruster ensures enhanced manoeuvrability while two John Deere 4045TFM50 52kW generators supply electrical power for the onboard systems.

The boat is also fitted with Furuno navigation electronics, VHF and MF/HF radios, and a CCTV camera setup. For emergency response, Swede Ship Marine incorporated a Ruberg firefighting pump with a remotely operated monitor and a flow rate of 2,000 litres per minute, three salvage pumps, a towing winch and hook from MB Hydraulikk, a small deck crane from Palfinger Marine, a deck de-icing system, and dive support equipment including an air compressor. Onboard space is also available for a small Survitec rigid inflatable boat (RIB), which is launched and recovered via a davit.

The accommodation spaces include three crew cabins, a galley, and a mess. Onboard space is available for first aid gear, oxygen cylinders, a treatment bench, a defibrillator, and other medical equipment.