Three newbuilds to aid German sea rescue service

Germany’s volunteer sea rescue service DGzRS is expected to receive three new boats before the end of December.

Two 10-metre class newbuilds to enter service in November will be joined by a new 20-metre sea cruiser as part of a DGzRS program to replace older vessels.

The 10.1-metre newbuilds, SRB68 and SRB69, are part of 10 vessels to be delivered by 2020.

The Fassmer-built SRB68 will enter service in the German Bight on November 4 after its naming in Bremen.

The Tamsen Maritim-built SRB69 will be launched on November 8 to serve out of Damp near the German-Danish border.

The 3.61-metre-wide vessels are powered by Cummins engines of 283kW, providing speeds of 18 knots.

The 20-metre sea cruiser, which is tagged SK38 until its naming at Greifswald in east Germany on December 15, is the fifth in a series built by Fassmer Werft.

SK38 is the smallest sea cruiser in the DGzRS fleet at 5.05 metres wide, drawing 1.3 metres and displacing 38 tonnes.

It is powered by a Caterpillar engine of 1,232 kW, providing 22 knots via a fixed Schaffran five-blade propeller. It also carries a Steyr auxiliary diesel and has a bowthruster for improved manoeuvrability.

DGzRS has a fleet of about 60 boats along Germany’s North Sea and Baltic coasts.