VESSEL REVIEW | Ocean Watch – Western Australia rescue organisation welcomes response RIB to fleet

The Marine Rescue Jurien Bay detachment of Volunteer Marine Rescue Western Australia (VMRWA) recently acquired a new rigid inflatable boat (RIB) designed by Southerly Designs and built by local company Dongara Marine.

Built with input from VMRWA volunteer crew, the 10-metre-long Ocean Watch will be operated alongside the smaller Bay Watch, Marine Rescue Jurien Bay’s other boat. Both vessels were built under contract to the Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

The vessel was built with greater capacity to undertake long-distance rescues. Among its key equipment is a radio direction finder, which will pinpoint the direction of an EPIRB during remote ocean rescues, and a Teledyne FLIR rotating infrared camera used for locating people in the water at night or in bad weather.

Also fitted are a Simrad radar, Shockwave shock-mitigating seats for the four crewmembers in the enclosed wheelhouse, a tow post, grab rails on the foredeck and the wheelhouse roof, reverse-angled windscreens to reduce glare, and two Mercury SeaPro outboard engines. There is space for additional personnel such as rescued survivors as well as light cargo on the open aft deck.

A custom floating pontoon was also built to function as the vessel’s dedicated berth. This will allow quicker deployment during rescue missions, thus reducing response times.

Ocean Watch replaces Crikey, Marien Rescue Jurien Bay’s nine-metre catamaran, which served the local community for 17 years.