The keel was recently laid for the second Dutch 25-meter SWATH pilot tender with the construction number 6518 at the Abeking & Rasmussen ship and yacht yard in Lemwerder.
This aluminium-built pilot tender will bear the name “Pegasus” upon delivery. In keeping with tradition, coins, a contemporary newspaper and cards bearing good wishes were welded into the keel inside an aluminium tube in the presence of representatives of the Dutch pilots’ organisation, the classification society and the shipyard. Construction of the identical sister vessel “Centaur” (yard number 6517) is already at a significantly more advanced stage: the main engines have meanwhile been installed in the hull and piping installation has begun.
In October 2024, twenty years after the first order, the Dutch pilots commissioned two additional next-generation SWATH tenders from Abeking & Rasmussen. According to the yard, the new vessels are around 20% more fuel-efficient than their predecessors and will therefore have a positive impact on the CO2 footprint of Nederlands Loodswezen.
The SWATH pilot transfer vessels are based on the proven SWATH hull form, continuously optimised by A&R, which enables safe pilot transfer even in heavy seas. The new vessels are said to feature further improvements in safety systems as well as in elements of equipment and crew comfort. Most recently, in 2017, A&R delivered two similar vessels to the pilots operating in Houston Bay, USA.
A&R is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of SWATH (Small Waterplane Twin Hull) vessels and has delivered a total of 25 SWATH ships to date, known for their exceptional stability even in rough conditions. Latvia was the first customer to order SWATH patrol boats from the yard. The Latvian vessels were built in two series between 2009 and 2013. Five 25 m SWATH@A&R patrol boats were commissioned, three of them constructed at A&R in Lemwerder. The remaining two vessels, “Viesīte” and “Rēzekne”, were built in Latvia, with A&R supplying material packages. A sixth vessel, “Jakob Prei”, was ordered in October 2009 for the Estonian Maritime Administration (Coast Guard). For the pilots in the German Bight, A&R built a total of three 60 m SWATH pilot station vessels and five 25 m SWATH pilot transfer vessels between 1999 and 2011.
