Powerful new fireboat is Schottel equipped

Written by Nick Blenkey
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The fireboat has three fire pumps that can spray up to 180 meters or to a height of up to 110 meters [Photo: Fassmer]

The Branddirektor Westphal, Europe’s most advanced fireboat, will soon enter service in the Port of Hamburg with a pumping capacity three to four times greater than the port’s existing fireboats.

To ensure maximum maneuverability and optimal efficiency, the boat is fitted with two Schottel Rudderpropellers and two Schottel Transverse Thrusters.

The vessel, operated by Flotte Hamburg GmbH & Co. KG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), was built at the Fassmer shipyard in Lower Saxony, which has had a long-standing cooperative partnership with Schottel.

“We have worked closely with Schottel for many years now,” says Thomas Sass, Head of Shipbuilding Sales at Fassmer. “On the basis of our positive experiences, with both reliable products and competent service, we once again opted for Schottel.”

Branddirektor Westphal is fitted with two Schottel Rudderpropellers and two Schottel Transverse Thrusters
Branddirektor Westphal is fitted with two Schottel Rudderpropellers and two Schottel Transverse Thrusters Photo: Flotte Hamburg

The vessel has three fire pumps that can spray up to 180 m or to a height of up to 110 m. Their pumping capacity of up to 120,000 liters of water per minute is three to four times that of the existing Flotte Hamburg fireboats. The pumps also supply three water cannons and three combined water and foam nozzles.

The 44.14 m x 9.8 m Branddirektor Westphal is powered by two Caterpillar C18 engines, each with an output of 500 kW. Each engine drives an azimuthing Schottel Rudderpropeller type SRP 190 FP with a propeller diameter of 1,350 mm and an input power of 500 kW. This enables the fireboat to reach an open-water speed of 12 knots. In combination with the two Rudderpropellers, two electrically driven Transverse Thrusters of type STT 170, each with a power output of 330 kW, enable optimal maneuvering and DP capability during firefighting or rescue operations.

In addition to firefighting, the vessel, named after Johannes Westphal, Hamburg’s first chief fire officer after the Second World War, is also equipped for rescue and relief operations.

Two SRP 190s and two STT 170s enable maximum maneuverability and optimum efficiency
Two SRP 190s and two STT 170s enable maximum maneuverability and optimum efficiency
Photo: Fassmer
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