A Finnish boatbuilder, known for its high specification emergency, military, law enforcement and pilot vessels has delivered a new ambulance boat to Austevoll near Bergen, Norway.
The Kewatec-built boat is equipped to withstand demanding sea states, transport patients, rescue people, and fight fires. This Ambulance 2200 is the prototype for this new multifunction design and was named Austevolljenta, meaning Austevoll girl.
The Ambulance 2200 is a dedicated ambulance boat with an aluminium catamaran hull, two Volvo Penta diesel engines with IPS propulsion, and a composite superstructure. The cabin was made in cooperation with Ocean Quality Systems, a company based in Pietarsaari. The boat is 22 metres long, 7.5 wide, about 7 metres high and weighs about 40 tons. There is seating for 12 people and two complete stretcher patient areas.
The boat’s top speed is 30 knots, and delivery from Kokkola to the Port of Turku took three nights and the special transport was challenging due to the weather and the length of the trip. From Turku, the boat continued to Fredrikstad, Norway, by cargo ship. In Oslo, the boat was tested and approved by the authorities. The boat was delivered on its own keel from Oslo to Austevoll.
In addition to the two spacious patient treatment areas, the boat has spacious and ergonomic interior and engine rooms, two toilets, a shower, and a galley.
The boat was ordered and will be operated by port marine services company Buksér og Berging AS in Oslo. Kewatec has already sold ten boats to the customer for pilotage.
The number of ambulance boats is scarce on the world market, so this is a niche market in which Kewatec is developing a presence. There are a few dozen ambulance boats along the coast of Norway and a few in Sweden. Kewatec has also manufactured one ambulance boat for Sweden in the past.
