The Hamburg Water Police in Germany recently took delivery of a new hybrid patrol boat built by Baltic Workboats of Estonia.
The vessel is a sister of Bürgermeister Brauer, which has been in operation with the water police since the beginning of this year.
The new police boat has an LOA of 29.4 metres, a beam of 7.4 metres, and a maximum draught of only 2.2 metres.
The vessel also features a wave-piercing bow to reduce surface resistance, an automatic trim system that keeps the attitude as level as possible to minimise crew fatigue, and a plug-in hybrid drive with two 500kW electric motors.
The hybrid propulsion arrangement will enable the vessel to operate exclusively on electrical power for up to two hours at a cruising speed of seven knots, though two diesel engines will enable the boat to reach a maximum speed of 25 knots if needed, such as during fast transits in response to incidents.
The diesel engines will also serve as backup, allowing the vessel to continue operating even as the batteries become depleted, an important attribute when conducting extended pursuits.
Like Bürgermeister Brauer, the new boat will be operated primarily in the Port of Hamburg, on the Lower Elbe River, and in Germany’s territorial waters within the North Sea.