Image courtesy BMT

The vessels will provide emergency response capabilities combining high vessel performance and extensive search and rescue and firefighting capabilities.

The award of a new 38 metre vessel design for the Marine Command of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) follows the successful delivery by the BMT-Penguin partnership of the Heavy Rescue Vessel (Red Manta) and the Marine Rescue Vessel (Red Dolphin), both of which entered service with SCDF in 2019.

 
The project will result in two MFV-R vessels to be delivered to SCDF, providing a new and extended rapid response fire vessel capability.
 
Featuring an extended hull to hold a larger load, including more firefighting equipment and personnel, an integrated launch and recovery ramp and a further-optimised design, this second-generation class of response vessel will once again meet the stringent operational requirements set by SCDF.
 
The two new 38m MFV-R vessels, scheduled for delivery from the summer of 2025, are an extended external firefighting capability with a much higher manoeuvrability that are expected to surpass the requirements associated with standard FiFi Class 1 firefighting requirements.
 
With the BMT-proven mono-hull aluminium design, the optimised vessels with superior seakeeping characteristics will be capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots. The extended external fire-fighting capability is designed to be fully redundant with three monitors and three pumps interconnected with a total discharge flow rate of 3600m3/hr with 12,000 litres of foam capacity and self-protection water curtain. The larger aluminium superstructure allows for greater size firefighting equipment store, decontamination room with chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) protection, first aid room and a rescue passenger lounge for 30 survivors and 8 firefighters.
 
Building on BMT’s extensive launch and recovery experience, the vessels will include a high-speed RHIB with a built-in launch and recovery ramp.
 
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, on a high-performance platform. The award of this contract is testament to the skills and experience in our team.
 
These will be four BMT designed vessels entering service with SCDF in five years, we are very proud to be once again entrusted by SCDF to deliver on this project.”
 
James Tham, Managing Director at Penguin International Limited, parent company of Penguin Shipyard International, said: “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.
 
"This repeat order from SCDF represents a significant vote of confidence in the collective capabilities of BMT and Penguin, in particular BMT’s excellence in design and naval architecture for highly-specialised vessels that often exceeds clients’ specifications.”