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BMT and Penguin picked to deliver next-gen Singapore fire and rescue boats

Written by Nick Blenkey
New fire and rescue boats will be larger than earlier 35 meter series

New 38-meter design builds on successes of 35-meter fire-rescue vessels delivered by the BMT-Penguin partnership

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has selected BMT and Singapore shipbuilder Penguin Shipyard International to design and build its next generation of fire and rescue boats, designated “MFV-R.” The 38-meter vessels will offer emergency response capabilities combining high vessel performance and extensive search and rescue, and firefighting capabilities.

The two-vessel award follows the earlier delivery by the BMT-Penguin partnership of the 35-meter heavy rescue vessel (HVR) Red Manta and the marine rescue vessel (MVR) Red Dolphin, both of which entered service with SCDF in 2019.

Scheduled for delivery from the summer of 2025, the new MFV-R fire and rescue boats will feature an extended hull to hold a larger load, including more firefighting equipment and personnel, an integrated launch and recovery ramp and a further-optimized design..

The vessels will be built to a BMT mono-hull aluminum design and will be capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots. The extended external fire-fighting capability is designed to be fully redundant with three monitors and three pumps interconnected with a total discharge flow rate of 3,600 cubic meters per hour, 12,000 liters of foam capacity and a self-protection water curtain. The larger aluminum superstructure than the previous 35-meter vessels allows for a larger size firefighting equipment store, a decontamination room with chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) protection, first aid room and a rescue passenger lounge for 30 survivors and eight firefighters. Building on BMT’s extensive launch and recovery system (LARS) experience, the vessels will include a high-speed RHIB with a built-in launch and recovery ramp.

“This project is a great opportunity to build on the recent success we have had with the team at Penguin Shipyard International, designing vessels with challenging technical requirements for what is a demanding set of capabilities,” said Christophe Rident, lead naval architect at BMT. “MFV-R is a very advanced vessel for its size, packed with rescue and firefighting equipment, on a high-performance platform.”

“The MFV-R design and technology collaboration builds on BMT’s past work with Penguin on a number of innovative vessel designs, including Singapore’s first hybrid-electric catamaran patrol boat and Penguin’s flagship Flex-42X multi-role executive fast crew boat,” said James Tham, managing director at Penguin International Limited, parent company of Penguin Shipyard International. “This repeat order from SCDF represents a significant vote of confidence in the collective capabilities of BMT and Penguin, in particular BMT’s excellence in design and naval architecture for highly-specialized vessels that often exceeds clients’ specifications.”

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