The RPA 8 is a patrol boat of the Rotterdam Port Authority ( English R otterdam P ort A uthority ). The boat is equipped with a hybrid drive and was put into service in September 2017. It was built by the Kooiman Marine Group in Zwijndrecht and replaced the RPA 3 .
The fuselage and the air-sprung superstructure are made of aluminum and together weigh 12.5 tons. The Kooiman shipyard , together with the Oossanen Group, developed a new hull shape, the so-called Fast Displacement Hull Shape and the Hull Vane , an underwater wing that reduces the stern wave . Together they help to save fuel. The Hull Vane is a wing that extends over 80% of the width of the ship and is covered by a platform. The deck is equipped with a heater to prevent black ice. To rescue shipwrecked people, there are rescue stairs and a crane on board.
With increasing speed, the hull, which is rounded to a small keel, is raised. Compared to previous patrol boats, the RPA 8 requires 50% less power at the same speed. The stern wave is only ten centimeters high 30 meters behind the boat.
drive
The 25-meter-long and 5.40-meter-wide boat is powered by two low-emission MAN diesel engines of the type D2676LE424 with catalytic converter and soot filter , each with an output of 382 kW on two fixed propellers. Between the diesel engine and the propeller shaft, there are two hollow-shaft electric motors with an output of 175 kW each. At speeds of up to 20 km / h, one diesel engine is switched off and the other supplies the other electric motor with electricity via the electric motor that functions as a generator. At higher speeds, both diesel engines run and drive the propellers directly. The fuel savings are between 15 and 20 percent. The maximum speed with a pure motor drive is 35 km / h.
