Singapore Orders Two More Fire and Rescue Vessels

Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) have yet again selected BMT and Singapore’s homegrown shipbuilder Penguin Shipyard International to design and build the next generation of fire and rescue boats called “MFV-R”. The vessels will offer emergency response capabilities, including extensive search and rescue, and firefighting capabilities.

The two new 38-meter MFV-R monohull aluminum vessels, scheduled for delivery from the summer of 2025, feature an extended hull to hold a larger load, including more firefighting equipment and personnel, an integrated launch and recovery ramp and a further-optimized design. Each 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 liters of foam capacity and self-protection water curtain. The larger aluminum 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 eight firefighters.

The vessels will include a high-speed RHIB with a built-in launch and recovery ramp.

The new vessels award follows the 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.

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.”

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-specialized vessels that often exceeds clients’ specifications.”