»Flotte Hamburg« has received innovative fireboat »Branddirektor Westphal«. Built at Fassmer shipyard as a European first, the vessel constitutes a quantum leap for its homeport Hamburg. Thomas Wägener reports on its technical features
About 30 years after the last firefighting vessel entered service in Hamburg, the city now has a new, modern ship[ds_preview], no longer to be compared with the other units. The newly built vessel is part of the urban fleet management which has been in charge of the Hamburg fleet since July 2017, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA).
At 43.5m length and 10m width with a draught of 2.8m it is the largest in the history of the Hamburg fire brigade and according to HPA boss Jens Meier the most modern of its kind in Europe. Thus not only the dimensions define a new class of its own, but also the equipment:
The unit operating at up to 12kn provides three Fire Fighting Systems (FFS) fire monitors, which can spray up to 180m ahead and 110m high. That corresponds to a three to four times performance increase compared to previous fire boat designs. The novel design can pump up to 120,000 l of forge water per minute – twelve times more than before. As a result, fires as aboard container ship »CCNI Arauco«, which burst into flames at the pier in 2016, could be controlled better and faster. According to the fire department Hamburg, it took almost 72 hours until the fire could be extinguished. It certainly would not have taken so long with the new vessel, they say.
The output of the eight engines of »Branddirektor Westphal« totals around 5.5 MW. The two main engines with about 500 kW each as well as the generators have been delivered by Caterpillar. In addition, the newbie features two rudder propellers and two bow thrusters from Schottel. The new unit has a self-protection system for the action force of up to 32 and a medical room. The bridge can be used as a protective air system (citadel). It can withstand up to 30 minutes if dangerous substances are discovered outside. With a side-scan sonar, objects in the water can be located and classified. The side-scan sonar has been ordered from Humminbird. As a tribute to most precise navigation it is equipped with a dynamic positioning system (DP2 system) provided by Navis Engineering. Siemens furnished various panels of the Simatic HMI series, all of which have a touch screen, for easy visualization of the various systems on board.
In order to meet the increasing environmental requirements, an exhaust aftertreatment system from Hug Engineering has been installed, including diesel particulate filter and catalytic converter. Therefore, the ship had to be extended by 3m compared to the original design. Like all units of the Hamburg fleet, the vessel is fuelled with Shell’s GTL (Gas-to-Liquids). Consistent bunkering is a clear signal towards sustainability, says Meier.
Dräger is responsible for the sewage system, the company Willibrord Lösing for the filter technology. Pollrich delivered the fans and Atlas Copco provided compressors. Möhring Marine Service, a Heinen & Hopman Company, provided the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) and cooling systems. Also suppliers in HVAC, Kampmann and Alre provided air conditioning technology.
Safety has a high priority on Hamburg’s new fire-fighting ship. Podszuck delivered the fire doors, the fire alarm systems are from Hochiki. Deckma has been contracted an alarm system and a fire alarm panel. Sm electrics is responsible for the light signal alarm system, while luminescent signs and license plates from Luxolight are intended to provide better orientation. Field and process indicators from Endress + Hauser will be used to monitor limit values. The life rafts were supplied by the Survitec Group. The FLIR camera technology is also intended to increase safety. Seematz has been awarded the searchlights while the LED spotlights are provided by the company Karl Dose. Aqua Signal supplies LED lights. The devices for communication and navigation have been supplied by JRC / Alphatron. A working crane with articulated boom by Palfinger has been mounted to the aft deck with the designation PK 65002M. The capacity enables to safely handle loads of up to 2,500 kg at a boom length of 4.5 m.
To reinforce the fleet, the vessel was handed over to the owner in Hamburg by Fassmer Werft at the end of November. Godmother is Eva Maria Tschentscher, wife of Hamburg’s first mayor Peter Tschentscher. Before the official christening, the traditional flag change was arranged. The Fassmer flag was replaced by those of the Hamburg fleet. As a symbol of the vessel transfer, shipyard boss Harald Fassmer handed over the coin that had been placed under the first part of the ship during keel laying to the Hamburg fire brigade. The launching ceremony is to be followed by crew training aboard in the Port of Hamburg. Early this year, the vessel will enter active operation.
The unit has its mooring at a newly installed pontoon next to the tug station below the St. Pauli fish market. At the establishment of which the company Aug. Prien was instrumental.
The handing over of »Branddirektor Westphal« is the prelude for the modernization of the Hamburg fleet ship pool. Recently, the fleet commissioned two smaller multi-functional fire boats. In a Europe-wide tender, Damen shipyard from the Netherlands prevailed. These ships will be delivered in 2020.
In addition, new police boats are to be purchased. This should complete the security concept of the Port of Hamburg for the coming years. »Preparing for the future, it is important to us that we set up not only our landbased security architecture, but also the concept for everything afloat,« said Hamburg Senator Andy Grote.
Thomas Wägener
