VESSEL REVIEW | Brazma – Harbour workboat with secondary emergency response capability to serve Latvia's Riga Port
The Freeport of Riga in Latvia recently placed a new aluminium workboat into service.
The 9.5- by 2.96-metre (31- by 9.71-foot) Brazma (“Breeze”) was built by Swedish-Latvian partnership Anytec Productions with a reinforced bow section and strengthened sides for year-round operation in Northern Europe under various weather conditions (including mild winter conditions resulting in thin surface ice), corresponding to its category.
The boat can transport six personnel and assorted payloads totalling one ton at speeds of up to 40 knots. The hull meanwhile features Anytec’s nano-passivation coating for increased protection, thus ensuring a long operational life for the vessel.
“It is intended for operation within the Salacgrīva Port waters and adjacent coastal areas,” Anytec told Baird Maritime. “The design combines high durability, shallow draught, and excellent manoeuvrability, making it ideal for servicing navigation marks, supporting coastal fishing activities, and carrying out port operations in confined and shallow waters under variable conditions.”
The vessel’s other duties include pilot transfers, inspection of fishing piers, relocating floating pontoons, and emergency response activities such as search and rescue and pollution control.
Versatile and durable platform for port and coastal waters
Anytec said the owner required a durable and maintenance-free vessel capable of year-round operation in the Gulf of Riga and port waters. The main requirements included a strong aluminium hull for longevity, a crane installed on the foredeck, and a Volvo Penta inboard diesel engine rated at 400 hp (300 kW) to ensure both power and efficiency.
Anytec said this particular propulsion setup was chosen for its optimal balance of torque, fuel efficiency, and reliability, and the installation includes reinforced engine foundations and vibration isolation to improve operator comfort during extended shifts.
“The vessel provides an all-weather platform for port and rescue operations that previously required smaller boats," Anytec told Baird Maritime. It increases efficiency, safety, and response speed for both routine and emergency operations.”
The vessel is equipped with a multifunctional navigation system consisting of a GPS, plotters, an echosounder and a radar from Simrad, an AIS, a VHF radio, and an integrated depth measurement device that can provide detailed measurements and mapping of the water area. The communications equipment was supplied by Belss.
The deck features a Fassi knuckle boom crane aluminium non-slip five-bar tread plates for increased safety. An integrated firefighting system is also fitted.
Ensuring ease of manoeuvring without compromising stability and carrying capacity
“The primary challenge [in designing the vessel] was [in working towards achieving] an optimal balance between stability, shallow draught, and payload capacity while maintaining good hydrodynamic performance,” Anytec remarked. “The hull form needed to allow both precise manoeuvring in narrow port channels and efficient movement in open waters.”
Integrating a 400hp inboard engine into a compact hull meanwhile required careful weight distribution and vibration control. According to the builder, installing the crane on the bow further complicated the weight balance, but this was successfully resolved by the engineering team.
Significant attention was paid to vibration and noise insulation to ensure crew comfort during prolonged operation in harsh weather conditions.
“We found that continuous communication and discussions between the engineering team, operators (welders, assembly personnel, electricians, etc), and end users throughout the construction process are key to creating a vessel that fully meets operational requirements,” Anytec told Baird Maritime. “This approach will be carried forward to future projects to enhance collaboration and overall build quality.”
Brazma belongs to a series of boats that have also been adapted for maritime security applications. According to Anytec Plant Manager Edmunds Krastiņš, five examples of the series were recently delivered to the Lithuanian Border Guard.
