The latest rescue vessel commissioned by the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij or KNRM) has recently passed an important test at Damen Shipyards Group in the Netherlands before being entrusted to its new crew.
Known as the 'NH 1816', the vessel measures 19 metres in length and hopes to combine all of the KNRM's technical, ergonomic and operational requirements in a striking new design.
The science behind the rescue vessel's self-righting capability revolves around the vessel's low point of gravity and the "air bubble" of the wheelhouse's interior. Taken together, these physical properties enable the capsized ship to right itself quickly "like a bath toy", with the engines and on board equipment designed to continue operating even after the vessel has capsized.
In 2008 the KNRM expressed a need for a completely new type of rescue vessel. With the help of a donation from the Dutch insurance company Noordhollandsche 1816 (NH 1816), the design began in close collaboration with Damen, the Maritime Technology faculty at Delft University and De Vries Lentsch Naval Architects.
Following delivery, the KNRM will deploy 'NH 1816' from the northern port city of IJmuiden with a permanent captain and an on-call crew. Sailors along the entire coast will carry out trials and familiarise themselves with the vessel.
The craft is intended to be the future replacement for the current Arie Visser-class vessels. These ten 19-metre-long rescue vessels began being built in 1999 and continue to deliver admirable performance. However in order to keep the KNRM in line with the latest global developments in rescue work, these vessels will gradually make way for Damen's new generation of rescue vessel over a 20-year time period.
