VESSEL REVIEW | Van Diemen – Australia's Tasmania Police adds patrol/SAR boat to fleet

Australia’s Tasmania Police has expanded its fleet of vessels with the recent acquisition of a new aluminium monohull offshore patrol boat built by Geraldton, Western Australia-based Fine Entry Marine to a design by local naval architecture firm Global Marine Design (GMD).

Named Van Diemen, the boat was designed using robust Lloyd's SSC Patrol Vessel scantlings and is compliant with NSCV 2B standards for the conditions of the Southern Ocean around Tasmania. GMD said the vessel arrangement makes for a very functional, comfortable, and high performance boat that is suitable for extended patrols in harsh conditions.

Durable and stable patrol and rescue platform

The newbuild has a length of 23.99 metres (78.7 feet), a moulded beam of 6.72 metres (22 feet), space for up to 30 people, and two diesel engines with a total installed power of 3,000 kW (4,000 hp). The engines can deliver speeds of up to 30 knots and a range of 1,000 nautical miles while a set of bow thrusters will enhance the boat’s manoeuvrability and station keeping capabilities.

Van Diemen also features a Veem gyrostabiliser for heavily reduced roll motion, thus increasing comfort and safety during patrols and search and rescue (SAR) operations. The Tasmania Police said the boat is one of the first police vessels in Australia to be fitted with a gyrostabiliser, as enhanced occupational health and safety features were among the agency’s critical considerations for the selection of the new vessel.

The wheelhouse electronics meanwhile include a Furuno radar, a long-range forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera for SAR missions under low-light conditions, a sonar, and equipment for seafloor searches and 3D mapping. The wheelhouse itself is ergonomically laid out so that the various displays and controls are within easy reach of the coxswain.

The aft work deck features a dinghy chute for the safe launch and recovery of a 5.8-metre (19-foot), high-speed rigid inflatable boat (RIB) tender. There is also space aft of the flying bridge on the upper deck for a smaller outboard-equipped tender to augment the patrol vessel's own boarding and inspection capability.

Part of a fleet modernisation program

Van Diemen, which also bears the name of an earlier Tasmania Police boat, was acquired for AU$13.4 million (US$8.37 million). The vessel is the third and final one to be delivered under the Large Vessel Replacement Program, following the successful construction and commissioning of the Tasmania Police’s two earlier vessels, the 2017-built Cape Wickham, which was also built by Fine Entry Marine, and the 2022-built, waterjet-powered Dauntless.