The completion of the third new building for German customs was celebrated at the NVL Peene Werft site in Wolgast. Numerous guests of honor were present, including Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil.
Like its two sister ships “Emden” and “Fehmarn “, the aluminum ocean-going vessel “Friesland” is primarily responsible for controlling and monitoring the cross-border movement of goods within the territory and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In addition, the 55-meter-long newbuild has medical treatment capacities, is equipped for external firefighting and can also provide emergency towing for damaged vessels within the scope of its capabilities. All three ships are designed for eight crew members.
“We are fighting for every industrial job”
“The ‘Friesland’ and its sister ships strengthen customs and show We are focusing on progress and sustainability. We need a modern customs service to protect people and the economy in our country in a tense security situation. With our ‘Customs 2030’ strategy, we are making customs even more powerful for the future,” said Lars Klingbeil.
“Germany must remain a strong industrialized country. That is why we are fighting to get our country back on track for growth. And we are fighting for every industrial job – including here in the maritime economy of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.”
All three newbuildings run on LNG
In December 2021, the Directorate General of Customs commissioned the Peene shipyard to design and build three new customs vessels with LNG (liquefied natural gas) propulsion systems. The first two customs vessels have already been handed over to the customer on schedule this year.
“With the handover of the last customs vessel manufactured by us, whose delivery is imminent, the Directorate General of Customs now has high-performance vessels equipped with state-of-the-art technology that will effectively support the authority in carrying out its tasks. This means that we have delivered all the ships on time and within the contractually agreed time frame,” said Harald Jaekel, Managing Director of Peene-Werft.
“We at Peene-Werft are very proud to have made an important contribution to the modernization of the operational fleet. The order was a special challenge for us. For the first time, we were able to successfully demonstrate our ability to build a ship with LNG propulsion.”
