VESSEL REVIEW | South Sea Rescue 152 – Coastal and offshore response ship for China Rescue and Salvage Bureau

The China Rescue and Salvage Bureau (CRSB), an agency under the Chinese Ministry of Transport, has taken delivery of a new search and rescue (SAR) vessel built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) subsidiary Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding.

South Sea Rescue 152 (南海救152; Nanhai Jiu 152) will be used for SAR in coastal and offshore waters and near China’s islands within the South China Sea.

Expanded capacity for marine rescue

The newbuild has a length of 69.5 metres (228 feet), a beam of 14.6 metres (47.9 feet), a draught of 5.2 metres (17 feet) at full load, a depth of 6.9 metres (23 feet), and a gross tonnage of approximately 2,300.

The vessel also boasts onboard space for accommodating up to 100 rescued accident survivors or other additional personnel.

Electric propulsion coupled with suitability for harsh environments

Power is provided by an all-electric propulsion setup consisting of two 450kW and two 2,600kW generators from ABB, two azimuthing main thrusters, and two side thrusters for additional lateral manoeuvrability.

The propulsion can deliver a top speed of 15 knots and a bollard pull of 55 tons, allowing the vessel to also be used for emergency towing.

A DP2 system is used in conjunction with the thrusters to permit station-keeping under a range of sea conditions, though the vessel was built to be able to withstand Beaufort Force 12 conditions characterised by wind speeds of up to 64 knots.

South Sea Rescue 152 was built in compliance with the ice class B and intelligent ship notation of the China Classification Society. Design work on the vessel was undertaken by CSSC subsidiary Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute.