Last week, the Port of Rotterdam Authority put a new hybrid patrol vessel into operation. This is the RPA 8, a 25 metres vessel that can run on both diesel and diesel-electric. The vessel causes less vessel wake and is much more efficient than other Port Authority vessels.
The new vessel will replace the replace the previous one, the RPA 3, which had reached the end of its technical and economic service life. RPA 8 was built by Kooiman Group in Zwijndrecht.
“Commissioning this vessel is in keeping with the policy of stimulating sustainable sailing and setting an example as Port Authority,” stated Harbour Master René de Vries.
This is the first time since 2010 that the harbour master has launched a new vessel.
RPA 8 uses considerably less fuel, with its hybrid propulsion system enabling efficient patrolling at low speeds and reduced number of hours the diesel engines need to run at low load operation.
The vessel’s special wing profile underwater results in reduced vessel wake, a feature that s better for quay walls and other vessels, as well as for fuel consumption. The hull is constructed from aluminium, contributing in reducing fuel consumption reduction.
“All these innovations result in the RPA 8 saving the same amount of energy as 65 households consume in one year. This also reduces the vessel’s CO2 emissions; the level of reduced emissions is calculated to be equivalent to saving the annual planting of approximately 8,000 trees,” René de Vries added.
