12 May International award for fireboat built for Kuwait Fire Force
MetalCraft Marine has won a prestigious award at the International WorkBoat Show for the Monjed 2 – a fire, rescue and patrol boat that was built specifically for the Kuwait Fire Force.
The award for Boat of the Year 2022, was given to the US$5.6m fireboat. It is fitted out with 45-foot towers that can shoot water at a rate of 5,000 gallons per minute.
Bob Clark, Contracts Manager for MetalCraft, explained: “With these fireboats, the water comes out of the body of water it’s sitting in, so it’s an unlimited supply.”
It took MetalCraft two years to build the aluminium-hull, catamaran-style vessel, after General Moussa Akbar of the Kuwait Fire Force, first introduced the company to the concept in 2015. Before the build could start, it took Walker Marine Design Ltd eight months to complete the design work.
The design took a lot of engineering to solve the logistics of getting the concept to work. The boat required hulls big enough to accommodate powerful diesel engines and firefighting equipment. It also needed a low centre of gravity to offset the force of the water being shot out of the towers.