New customs ship with gas propulsion

Peene shipyard delivers customs vessel

The Peene shipyard in Wolgast handed over the first of three new customs ships to German Customs yesterday. Planning, design and production were completed on schedule. The ship has an LNG (liquid natural gas) propulsion system and was transferred to Emden before being handed over. Apparently everything seems to have gone well with the ship and its new type of propulsion system, as Harald Jaekel, Managing Director of Peene-Werft, was very pleased: "We are delighted to have been given responsibility for the construction of these technically demanding ships by the Central Procurement Office of the Federal Finance Administration. With the successful delivery of the first ship today, we have reached an important milestone on schedule and have once again been able to demonstrate the skills and technical expertise of our entire team.

"With the approximately 55 metre-long ships, Customs is consistently implementing the German government's mobility and fuel strategy and is starting to renew its fleet with ships that are more climate and environmentally friendly. Accordingly, these ships will be designed exclusively for the use of LNG as fuel," says project manager André Schönrock.

For the Peene shipyard in Wolgast, which belongs to NVL, this is an important contribution to capacity utilisation. It is not the only order for the public sector client (ÖAG) to be manufactured in Wolgast. Production is also underway for the frigate 126, for the new FD boat (see: Keel laid for the first Class 424 fleet service boat) and with repair and maintenance orders for the navy. The ocean-going vessels made of aluminium are part of the modernisation of the old customs fleet. They are responsible for controlling and monitoring the cross-border movement of goods within the territory and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition, the ships will have medical treatment capabilities, external fire-fighting equipment and will be able to provide emergency towing for casualties as far as possible. The ships are designed for eight crew members.