VESSEL REVIEW | Hamburg Pilot 3 – New all-weather pilot boat to serve Port of Hamburg
Estonian boatbuilder Baltic Workboats has delivered a new pilot boat ordered by German vessel operator Flotte Hamburg, a subsidiary of the Hamburg Port Authority.
Hamburg Pilot 3 has an LOA of 17.95 metres (58.89 feet), a beam of 5.87 metres (19.3 feet), a maximum draught of only 1.5 metres (4.9 feet), and space for two crewmembers plus up to six pilots/passengers. A wave-piercing bow will ensure reduced vertical acceleration even in rough seas while an automatic trim system will guarantee increased comfort and reduced fuel consumption, thus allowing for a greater number of trips over a given period.
Layout emphasising safety
The wheelhouse is fitted with reverse-angled windscreens to reduce glare and reliance on wipers as well as upward-facing windows to provide the coxswain with improved situational awareness, especially when manoeuvring alongside larger ships during transfers.
The deck layout meanwhile provides ample walking and transfer space around the wheelhouse, particularly in front.
Safety handrails are strategically placed further inboard including on the wheelhouse exterior.
This configuration ensures greater operational flexibility as it allows safe passage along the main deck even in rough seas and facilitates transfers to and from other vessels via various points on the deck (unlike in earlier pilot boat designs wherein transfers were done only via the bow).
Continuous monitoring from on board and from shore
The boat features Baltic Workboats’ integrated automation, control and monitoring system to allow seamless monitoring and control of the main and auxiliary systems via a single touchscreen at the helm station in the wheelhouse as well as remotely from a shore station.
The wheelhouse electronics also include a JRC Alphatron radar.
Operating with reduced environmental impact
Whereas many of the other newbuild vessels recently delivered to Flotte Hamburg had battery hybrid propulsion systems, the new pilot boat will run on traditional marine fuels but may be configured to accommodate low-emissions alternative fuels in the future.
The propulsion, which will deliver an operational speed of 20 knots, also features an exhaust gas aftertreatment system consisting of catalytic converters and particulate filters. This ensures that the propulsion will comply with EU Stage V regulations.
Hamburg Pilot 3 and sister vessel Hamburg Pilot 4, which will be delivered before the end of this year, will replace the older boats Lotse 3 and Lotse 4 in the Hamburg Port Authority fleet.
Construction of the replacement vessels was done in compliance with Lloyd’s Register class rules as well as ES-TRIN requirements, which apply to vessels to be operated in European inland waters.
