
Flemish Government orders new methanol-ready hybrid pilot boat
Written by Nick Blenkey
Summa Defence
Belgium’s Flemish Government has ordered a new 80 meter EUR 54.36 million battery hybrid pilot boat. Its current Pilot Boat 1 and Pilot Boat 7 are due for replacement and the new boat is describe as an innovative and sustainable successor.
“For government shipping company Vloot, part of the Maritime Services and Coast Agency (MDK), this new type of ship is a milestone in the greening strategy that we have been working on for years,” said says Tim Van Dijck, director of Vloot. “The vessel will be equipped with an innovative diesel-electric propulsion with hybrid functionality. This system minimizes emissions and can later be adapted to use the more climate-friendly methanol as fuel. With this, we continue to take steps towards the environmental objectives for 2030,” says Tim Van Dijck, director of Vloot.
The order for the battery-hybrid pilot boat has been placed with the Nordic Yards Group, a Finnish-Estonian joint venture between Baltic Workboats and Summa Defence,
The new pilot boat will be approximately 80 meters long and 13 meters wide and is designed to operate safely in wave heights of up to 3.5 meters. It can accommodate 20 crew members and 10 pilots and, in the event of serious incidents on the North Sea, it can act as an emergency and coordination platform for the reception of injured persons or evacuees.
According to Summa Defence, the contract duration is 42 months, and the construction project includes an option for for a second vessel.
The diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system is based on six Volvo Penta diesel generators with a total power of 3750 kW and a battery bank with a capacity of 1130 kWh. An intelligent control system automatically optimizes energy usage, reducing CO2 emissions, fuel consumption, and maintenance costs.
