Singapore fling

Ship & Boat International: eNews May/June 2019

The Marine Command of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF MC) has taken delivery of the first in a series of new response vessels designed by naval architect BMT Specialised Ship Design and Singaporean boatbuilder Penguin Marine. The 35m marine rescue vessel (MRV) class was created to offer “an advanced, external firefighting capability that goes above and beyond standard FiFi Class 1 requirements”, explains Sylvain Julien, principal naval architect at BMT – thereby enabling her crew to not only tackle blazes at sea, but rescue casualties from the water and respond to incidents in contaminated (or potentially contaminated) areas.

FiFi 1 class requirements specify a minimum of two fire monitors, and one fire pump; the MRV has been developed with three pumps and three monitors to guarantee “redundancy in every aspect – if one goes down, the others have the right capacity to continue to combat the fire well within FiFi 1 capability requirements,” Julien tells Ship & Boat International. The MRV’s firefighting system is also fitted with an integrated foam-forming system serving all three monitors, while the three pumps feature a total discharge flow rate of 5,300m³ per hour.

The firefighting system incorporates self-spray protection to protect against external heat radiation. The hydrant system was also upgraded to enable the vessel to act as a 'floating pumping station' to support landside firefighters. The MRV has also been fitted with an internal citadel, providing a safe, sealable and protective compartment for her four-man crew and up to eight firefighters and 30 survivors when entering areas affected by chemical, biological and/or radiological (CBR) contamination.

To further assist the vessel's SAR missions, the MRV features an onboard first aid room, and is equipped with a high-speed, 5.4m Palfinger RIB, which can be launched and recovered via a man-riding winch system.

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