The Port of Hamburg has announced that two hybrid police boats of the Hamburg Fleet were christened on 12 May at the Landungsbrücken as part of this year’s Port Anniversary celebrations.
In the presence of numerous guests and visitors to the Port Anniversary celebrations, Senator for Economic Affairs Dr Melanie Leonhard and actress Rhea Harder-Vennewald christened the two boats ‘Bürgermeister Brauer’ and ‘Bürgermeister Weichmann’.
Both patrol boats were handed over to the Hamburg fleet in December last year and have been at the disposal of the water police since spring this year. They replace their predecessors, which are over 30 years old.
The two new police boats were built at the Baltic Workboats shipyard in Estonia and are equipped with an environmentally friendly plug-in hybrid drive. The powerful electric motors, each with an output of 500 kilowatts (kW), enable the vessels to travel at a speed of seven knots for at least two hours on electric power alone.
Karsten Schönewald, Managing Director of Flotte Hamburg, said: “With today’s double christening, we are sending a strong signal for modern, sustainable shipping in the Port of Hamburg.
“Flotte Hamburg has been pooling its municipal watercraft since 2017 and has already made significant progress. The use of hybrid watercrafts by the water police is a further measure to reduce emissions.
Olaf Hagenloch, Deputy Chief of the Hamburg Water Police, said: “The new boats are not only technical masterpieces, they are also a symbol of change. With the hybrid drive, we are actively protecting the environment – without compromising our operational capabilities.”
Earlier this year, the Port of Hamburg announced the successful launch of HAMBURG PILOT 3, soon to be delivered, and the start of HAMBURG PILOT 4’s construction at Estonia’s Baltic Workboats AS.
