BMT and Penguin to deliver next-gen fire and rescue boats

BMT and Penguin to deliver next-gen fire and rescue boats

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has selected BMT and Singapore shipbuilder Penguin Shipyard International to design and built its next generation of fire and rescue boats, designated MFV-R.

The new vessels will be 38-metres in length, with emergency response capabilities. High performance will be combined with extensive search and rescue and firefighting capabilities.

Scheduled for delivery in the summer of 2025, these two new MFV-R fire and rescue boats will feature extended hull space to hold a larger load, more optimised firefighting equipment and a larger capacity for firefighting personnel. The two fire and rescue boats will also include a high-speed RHIB with a built-in launch and recovery ramp.

The vessels will be capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots and will be built to a BMT mono-hull aluminium design. This structure is larger than previous vessels from the partnership which came in at 35-metres. The upsized structure allows for a larger firefighting equipment store, a decontamination room with chemical, biological and radiological protection, a first aid room and a rescue passenger lounge with space for 30 survivors and eight firefighters.

The new design will see the extended external fire-fighting capability be fully redundant with three monitors and three pumps interconnected. The total discharge flow rate will be 3,600 cubic metres/hour, 12,000 litres of foam capacity and a self-protection water curtain.

Christophe Rident, Lead Naval Architect at BMT, said: “This project is a great opportunity to build on the recent success we have had with the team at Penguin Shipyard International, designing vessels with challenging technical requirements for what is a demanding set of capabilities. MFV-R is a very advanced vessel for its size, packed with rescue and firefighting equipment’s, on a high-performance platform.”

James Tham, Managing Director at Penguin International Limited – Penguin Shipyard International’s parent company, added: “The MFV-R design and technology collaboration builds on BMT’s past work with Penguin on a number of innovative vessel designs, including Singapore’s first hybrid-electric catamaran patrol boat and Penguin’s flagship Flex-42X multi-role executive fast crew boat.”