VESSEL REVIEW | Sea Command – Rescue coordination boat delivered to Singapore's Changi Airport
The Airport Emergency Service (AES) division of Singapore's Changi Airport Group has begun operating a new emergency response vessel built by local shipbuilder Dundee Marine and Industrial Services.
Named Sea Command, the 12-metre (39-foot) vessel was designed by KND Naval Design of South Africa to serve primarily as a command and coordination (C&C) platform during search and rescue (SAR) operations and other emergency response activities.
As with two other 15-metre (49-foot) high-speed response boats that were also built by Dundee Marine for the AES, the C&C boat will be operated primarily in Singapore's coastal waters but will also be capable of being deployed to neighbouring countries if needed.
All three boats were supplied by Dundee Marine in fulfilment of the AES' requirement for vessels that would not only replace its ageing platforms, but were also capable of responding to incidents in less time.
The owner required a boat that could reach speeds of up to 40 knots and that was also manoeuvrable and capable of beaching. A high payload capacity for transporting rescued survivors and SAR equipment was also deemed as necessary.
Fast response platform for coastal waters
"A forward hydraulic ramp allows for rescue operations while at sea and evacuation of rescuees while beached," Spenser Tan, General Manager of Dundee Marine, told Baird Maritime.
Power for the boat is provided by three Mercury V8 outboard engines while the electronics suite includes a radar, echosounder and AIS from Raymarine, a Teledyne FLIR thermal camera, a Ritchie compass, two Icom VHF radios, and a Yachtsense voyage data recorder. The onboard systems draw electrical power from a Kohler generator.
Hempel paint and ultrasonic anti-fouling coating from Hull Shield were meanwhile used on the hull.
On board are Scot S2H bucket seats for the three crewmembers as well as space for six passengers and six survivors inside a main cabin kept comfortable with the aid of a Coleman Mach 10 rooftop-mounted air conditioner.
Three eight-person liferafts from Halo can be deployed into the water for coastal SAR missions. The liferafts can be towed using a manual winch fitted aft of the main cabin.
Tan remarked that Dundee Marine had to manage a, "tight building schedule," in addition to addressing, "strict building standards and requirements," set by the classification society, which in this case is Bureau Veritas.
Ensuring full response capability even with limited onboard space
"One of the biggest challenges was [working with] the limited deck space, which required careful planning and efficient use of every available area," said Tan. "Since the vessel was small, we had to be strategic in designing the layout, so significant portion of the planning went into determining the optimal location for mandatory life-saving equipment."
Tan said that only after this equipment was accounted for could Dundee Marine begin designing the seating layout for rescued survivors around it.
Storage was another critical concern for the builder. Specifically, the vessel had to accommodate a wide range of equipment, and the available space for this was limited.
"We tackled this by measuring each piece of equipment individually and creating a detailed arrangement plan," Tan told Baird Maritime. This allowed us to optimise storage capacity while ensuring that all necessary items were safely and accessibly stowed within the vessel."
