SINGAPORE: The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) unveiled its latest marine rescue vessel, the Blue Dolphin, on Wednesday (Jun 25), marking a significant upgrade to Singapore’s maritime emergency response capabilities.
The second-generation vessel will serve as SCDF’s primary response asset for major incidents at sea, including fires, rescues, and chemical, biological or radiological emergencies. It will be based at the West Coast Marine Fire Station.
It is approximately 3m longer than its predecessor, the Red Dolphin, which was commissioned in August 2019. Both vessels have a top speed of 30 knots, or about 56kmh.
The Blue Dolphin houses three fire monitors, capable of discharging up to 4,800 cubic metres of water per hour – equivalent to nearly two Olympic-sized swimming pools. Both vessels also have a crew capacity of four navigational crew and 10 marine specialists.
The new vessel was jointly developed by SCDF, Penguin Shipyard International, Home Team Science and Technology Agency and Defence Science and Technology Agency.
Key upgrades include an integrated command post that can receive information from onboard cameras, detectors and operation logs.
The vessel is also equipped with a chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) system, upgraded with advanced sensors. These sensors can analyse infrared signatures emitted by various chemicals and detect most chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals from up to 5km away within line of sight.
The CBR system also enables the vessel to conduct hazardous material monitoring operations – a process that demarcates hazardous boundaries of an incident site to assess whether responders should wear personal protective equipment (PPE).
A virtual anchoring system enhances navigational precision and minimises operator fatigue during extended missions. Meanwhile, upgraded search-and-rescue tools include a launch-and-recovery mechanism for a rigid hull inflatable boat. The boat is also fitted with a firefighting system that can help with missions in shallow coastlines.
The increase in size of the vessel allows for more spacious PPE and rescue rooms, improving operational flow, SCDF said. In addition, the extra space allows for a heli-winch for heli-evacuation operations.
In line with sustainability goals, the Blue Dolphin also has an integrated solar panel charging system and is powered by biofuel-compatible engines.
Explain It To Me Like I’m 5: The Singapore Civil Defence Force has introduced a new marine rescue boat called the Blue Dolphin, designed to help save people at sea and handle emergencies, making it better and bigger than the old boat.
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