Germany's Central Command for Maritime Emergencies has commissioned the Lütt Matten, a new oil spill response and multi-purpose work vessel. After successfully completing sea trials, the vessel is now stationed in Sassnitz to serve the Baltic Sea area.
The agency managed the construction project from the tender process through to the handover. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Minister for the Environment and Agriculture, Dr. Till Backhaus, stated that the vessel strengthens the ability to react quickly to pollution incidents.
The Lütt Matten is approximately 24 metres long and nine metres wide with a shallow draft of around two metres. It is equipped with an oil containment system, a crane, a towing hook, and a heavy-duty winch for salvage operations.
The ship features a moonpool for water monitoring and can perform anchor recovery or transport operations. Dr. Robby Renner, Head of the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies, said the acquisition sustainably strengthens maritime emergency preparedness in the eastern Baltic Sea.
The vessel was procured by coastal states as part of joint efforts to combat marine pollution and is operated by Otto Wulf and Pegasus Shipping. While available for commercial contracts to reduce public costs, the agency stated that the ship must be ready for emergency deployment within two hours.
Construction of the new building took approximately one year and cost around €8 million ($8.7 million). These costs are shared among coastal states under a federal-state agreement, with Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania contributing approximately €1 million.
