Integrated Marine Rescue Centre for the EGV BERLIN

The Einsatzgruppenversorger (EGV) BERLIN will be equipped with an integrated Marine Rescue Centre (i-Merz).

The day after the Budget Committee gave its approval at the end of March, the Vice President of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), Annette Lehnigk-Emden, and the Managing Director of German Naval Yards Kiel, Rino Brugge, signed the contract for the construction and integration of the i-Merz. According to the Ministry of Defence, the contract is worth around 42 million euros. Funding will be provided from Section 14.

Construction of the i-Merz is set to begin shortly and integration is expected to be completed by mid-2024.

The i-Merz is an emergency medical centre for the initial treatment of the sick, injured and wounded in trauma surgery and intensive care. It has two operating theatres, an intensive care unit, instrument reprocessing, a dental unit, a microbiology laboratory, a pharmacy and imaging procedures such as X-rays as well as medical gas generation systems. The i-Merz is a central component and enables emergency care on the unit, as well as initial care through to further care on land, explained Gunther Brückner, project manager from the BAAINBw.

Operating theatre of the i-Merz on the FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Photo: Bw/Leon Rodewald

With the procurement of the i-Merz, the existing container-based marine rescue centre of the BERLIN will be regenerated. Based on previous operational experience, the container design has not proven itself, so the new i-Merz will be permanently integrated into the ship's structure. This means that the BERLIN will have an i-Merz of the same design as the FRANKFURT AM MAIN.

The sister ship was equipped with the first i-Merz in mid-2022. At that time, German Naval Yards was responsible for the design and integration of the system, while the medical equipment was supplied by Zeppelin Mobile Systeme (ZMS). It is likely that the third EGV, the BONN, will also be equipped with the i-Merz. However, a timetable for this has not yet been announced.

Gerhard Heiming