It said the five boats would boast 'a completely new propulsion and accommodation concept', giving no details but indicating it was switching to MAN engines from the MTU 12V 2000M70 diesels of 788 kW used in its SWATH pilot boat design.

The indication was the result of a visit to Lemwerder by German Maritime Coordinator and Parliamentary State Secretary Dagmar Wöhrl. She was photographed next to an engine housing for one of the Latvian patrol boats and A&R itself said the section was for a Nuremberg MAN engine which had been 'designated for this order'.

Otherwise, the new boats will be based on the yard’s proven SWATH pilot boats, in operation since 1999 for German pilots in the German Bight and for the Dutch Pilotage Organisation.

They will have the same dimensions and underwater hulls as the earlier craft. That would make them 25.65 m long and 14.26 m wide, drawing 2.7 m and displacing 125 tons. They will also have the same fendering and be suited for all types of boarding whilst featuring a modular mission bay.

A & R has also said the Latvian boats will be constructed and delivered 'in co-operation with Riga Shipyard' but it was not clear if that meant some would be built in Latvia. However A&R did say that the prototype would be delivered by Lemwerder in December 2010.

The yard said Latvia chose the A&R SWATH because of its seaworthiness and durability. The new boats will patrol Latvia’s Baltic territorial waters and participate in international assignments.

By Tom Todd