VESSEL REVIEW | Enforcement boats enter service with Ivorian port authority

Ivorian Maritime and Port Affairs (Affaires Maritimes et Portuaires Ivoiriennes; AMPI), the central maritime law enforcement agency of the Ivory Coast, has taken delivery of two rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) in a series from UAE builder Asis Boats.

AMPI requested for new police boats that will allow the agency to perform various tasks related to coastal and port security as well as search and rescue (SAR) in the country’s rivers where flooding is a constant hazard.

The custom-made RIBs each have an aluminium hull and deck, a length of 7.5 metres, and a Hypalon collar to ensure improved seakeeping and stability even at high speeds. Key features on each boat include two Ullman Biscaya jockey suspension seats for the two crewmembers, two triple jockey seats for the passengers, a heavy duty T-top, non-skid flooring, a telescoping tow post, diving notches, and a bow boarding platform with siderails.

The two outboard engines on each RIB are fed by two 350-litre aluminium fuel tanks to ensure a maximum operating endurance of 10 hours for extended patrols in coastal waters. For improved safety during such patrols, the boats rely on night vision cameras, chart plotters, wi-fi connectivity, in-hull transducers, and a Garmin electronics package that includes a VHF radio, a radar, and GPS/sonar, and a high-definition map display.

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