Surveillance vessel christened ‘Goldbutt’ in Germany

The 17.3m x 4.9m vessel has been built and delivered by the Tamsen Maritim Shipyard in Rostock-Gehlsdorf and will work for the State Office for Agriculture, Food Safety and Fisheries of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (LALLF).

The vessel now has an interesting name – Goldbutt – and will monitor commercial and recreational fishing from its base in Sassnitz, a centuries-old port that began life as a fishing village and has transformed into a tourist destination, partly because of its stunning white cliffs.

Three to six persons can crew the vessel, which has an aluminium hull and superstructure and can travel at a maximum speed of 30 knots, achieved with two 588kW engines.

“With this newbuild, Tamsen Maritim is underlining its shipbuilding expertise in the construction of government, military and special-purpose vessels,” said the shipyard’s managing director, Christian Schmoll, adding that the shipbuilding company had delivered two STS workboats for the German Armed Forces and two patrol boats for the German Customs Authority, among other things.

“All three vessel types were developed and designed by the shipyard’s engineering department,” he said.

The shipyard can handle a wide variety of vessel repairs, including naval and government vessels, passenger ships and offshore support boats.

Sassnitz’s location in relation to other major Baltic Sea destinations makes it an important transport hub. It lies 185 kilometres across the Baltic Sea from Trelleborg in Sweden, providing a vital shipping route between Central Europe and Scandinavia.

On the island of Rügen itself, Sassnitz is 22 kilometres northeast of Bergen auf Rügen, the island’s central town, and about 50 kilometres from Stralsund, the nearest mainland city.