Damen Shipyards supplies hybrid propulsion vessel to Amsterdam’s Waternet Foundation
Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld-Giessendam recently delivered the Waterspreeuw, a hybrid patrol vessel tailor-made for Amsterdam’s complex network of waterways.
Damen said the most striking features of this hybrid patrol vessel – which was designed and constructed for Waternet (the Water Network Foundation) – are that it is clean, quiet and can sail under Amsterdam’s bridges along the through routes.
The vessel will be used for inspections and patrols, and for enforcing various legislation and rules in Amsterdam’s canals and other waters.
With an overall height of 1.80 m, it can pass under all the city’s bridges, and the rudder propeller and the 11 kW bow thruster make the vessel highly maneuverable in the narrow canals.
The Waterspreeuw – which means ‘Dipper’ in English – can be powered entirely by electricity with a 130 kW electrically driven rudder propeller manufactured by Hydrosta. ES Technology supplied 13 lithium polymer batteries for the drive system, providing enough electric power for at least 6 hours at an average cruising speed of 10 km/h.
The vessel also has a Steyr/AMK diesel generator set that complies with the European CCR3 standard for exhaust gas emissions set by the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine, a standard stipulated by the client.
The engine switches on automatically when the battery capacity falls below the minimum level. Using both drive systems, the Waterspreeuw has a top speed of 16 km/h; using the batteries alone, it can hold that speed for an hour. The Waterspreeuw is being supplied with a Zone 3 certificate issued by the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT).