Big new police boat monitors German Bight

The new 34.2m long and 7.2m wide Helgoland, drawing 1.6m and built by Fassmer Werft, is “outstandingly suited to all kinds of operation” in an area from the Danish border to the island of Heligoland and the Elbe estuary”. The comment came from Stefan Studt, Interior Minister in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Wolfgang Boe, a spokesman for the state’s Wasserschutzpolizei, which monitors local rivers, waterways and coastal seas, told Maritime Journal the new boat had performed well since going into service in November in Buesum on the German Bight.

He noted its excellent manoeuverability, quiet running and good all-round visibility from a highly-placed bridge. Mr Boe also praised available space on the bridge and the newbuild’s state-of-the-art communications technology.

Local police are using Helgoland not only for following up classic criminal activity but also for monitoring shipping hazards, checking infringements of shipping regulations, inspecting ship equipment, crews and cargo and for protecting the environment.

The boat’s introduction rounds off a €34.6 million police boat newbuilding programme begun by Schleswig-Holstein in 2006. The programme has covered five new coastal boats, two new longer distance police craft and eleven smaller working boats. Many of the others were also built at Fassmer.

Helgoland, which cost €7.4 million, was not actually part of the original programme because her predecessor was re-engined in 2000. She was ordered after a decision in 2010 to replace the predecessor for economic reasons, police boat specialist Sven Stange told Maritime Journal.

The Schleswig-Holstein police now have two ultra-modern coastal patrol boats of this type and size in service in the North Sea. A sister boat Sylt was introduced in 2009. When she entered service she was described as the biggest and most powerful patrol boat ever built for Germany’s waterways and coastal police.

On Helgoland, two MTU 16V 2000 M 72 diesels each of 1440 kW operate over two ZF 4540A gear units and drive a four-blade fixed propeller from Schaffran providing a top speed of 25 knots. Each of the 16-cylinder engines reportedly burns more than 350 litres of diesel an hour. The ship’s bow thruster is from Kraeft while Steen supplied the anchor winch and Palfinger the PK 8000 TM on-board crane.

Helgoland is a popular name for German boats and the latest of that name is not to be confused with the 83m long passenger and freight ferry currently also under build at Fassmer for AG Ems, or the 50m long twin hull SWATH ship built at Nordseewerke for theBerlin Government in 2009.

By Tom Todd