Marine Alutech launches final vessels for Finnish Border Guard
Marine Alutech has recently completed the design and manufacturing of the final Watercat 1300-series patrol boats for the Finnish Border Guard. The launch event for the final vessel was held in May at Marine Alutech's premises in Teijo, Finland.
The patrol boat series began as a concept design project in 2005. The prototype vessel was manufactured in 2007. Upon completion, the total number of manufactured vessels was 22 units.
The Finnish Border Guard received financial support for the project from the European Union's External Borders Fund. The fund contributed up to five million Euro (USD6.5 million) for the patrol boat project's duration, from 2007-2013.
The Watercat 1300 Patrol boat is specially conceived for patrolling, interception and rescue purposes in all weather conditions. The vessel is designed according to FMAW (NBS-Y) workboat regulations. Propulsion is provided via two 478kW diesel engines with water jets. The top speed is over 40 knots, with a range exceeding 230 nautical miles when fully loaded. The modern hull design of this vessel guarantees excellent handling and sea keeping capability in all design sea states.
Each Watercat 1300 Patrol craft features onboard automatic air-conditioning for all-climate operations, with modern integrated navigation and communication systems installed as standard, including comprehensive radio equipment and data communications.
Lastly, mounted two-way speaker devices provide communication whilst on operations and a surveillance camera is installed to ensure full vessel capability for a variety of different tasks.
