‘Lambeth’, the Port of London Authority’s (PLA) new purpose-built patrol and pilot boat is the first of five specially-designed low-wash Wave Guardian-class catamarans to be launched into duty.

Her mission is to help keep navigation safe for the ships carrying two million passengers and 50 million tons of cargo each year travelling the Port of London’s waters, between Teddington Lock and the North Sea.

PLA’s existing seven patrol boats had all served well. However, it was time to find a better solution to the port’s requirement.

“The older boats were heavy and all of different design. This makes both operation and support more difficult than it really should be,” said Alan Cartwright, Marine Engineer at PLA. “We wanted a more efficient, reliable, and environmentally sound fleet.”

“The PLA has spent five years on research and development of the low-wash concept, which has culminated in ‘Lambeth’s’ design,” continued Mr Cartwright.

“As well as providing for efficiency, we wanted to “design out” the causes of downtime, especially engine and gearbox cooling systems’ blockage and stern gear wear. We chose a light-construction but incredibly strong aluminium catamaran hull form to provide the best operational and environmental performance.

“The design is optimised for both least resistance to water flow and maximum structural strength for pilotage operations. The deep-vee hull shape, optimised by Newcastle University, is very narrow at its axe bow, which keeps water resistance low.”

With a length of 13.5 meters, the vessel’s overall displacement is only eleven tonnes. Twin 150kW PowerTech 6068TFM marine engines supply the power of the vessel.