Copenhagen’s High-Speed Firefighting Vessel Powered by Volvo Penta IPS

Volvo Penta and Danish boatbuilder, Tuco Marine Group have partnered up to create a unique high-speed firefighting vessel that will join the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department. 

The Danish operator, Hovedstadens Beredskab (HBR) – part of the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department Association – recently commissioned the build of HBR 1 Copenhagen – a tough full cabin multi-response vessel that can sail under all weather conditions. The new vessel responds to emergency calls in the Harbor of Copenhagen and the surrounding area. Navigating the city’s canals to deliver a fast and effective fire response to the residence.

The finished vessel – built by Tuco Marine Group – is 15 meters long and is propelled to a maximum speed of 29 knots (54km/h) by Volvo Penta Inboard Performance System (IPS). Volvo Penta IPS is a complete propulsion system from helm to prop. Two Volvo Penta IPS450 power this vessel.

Customized modular design
Tuco Marine specializes in the module-based design of light, durable, reliable workboats. The HBR 1 Copenhagen is the latest model in Tuco’s ProZero series of fast workboats.

“The ProZero-series offers user-specific designs”, says Managing Director of Tuco Marine, Jonas Pedersen. “HBR 1 Copenhagen is a prime example of this – everything is designed and built-in full compliance with the specific requirements of HBR. We recommend the Volvo Penta IPS for this build because it delivers exactly what our customer needed.”

Fast, agile and reliable
Effective fire response needs to be fast and reliable and Volvo Penta IPS ticks both those boxes. This complete and integrated propulsion system is faster, more fuel-efficient, and more reliable than traditional inboard shaft installations. 

“The HBR 1 Copenhagen works for 12-hour shifts – with a crew of two emergency response specialists,” explains HBR’s Operational Planning and Analysis Manager, Claus Hjorth Christoffersen. “The crew has to be ready to move around the city quickly – with a response time of 10-15 minutes,” continues Claus. “As well as being fast, Volvo Penta IPS allows the vessel to be maneuvered in a very agile way.”

“Individually steerable Volvo Penta IPS drives are linked to the onboard Joystick Docking function,” explains Jonas Alkner, Area Sales Manager, Volvo Penta. “The joystick makes pulling up close to the source of a fire or navigating alongside other vessels easier and safer. Overall Volvo Penta IPS provides superior handling and performance when it’s needed most.” 

Compact
Another key advantage of Volvo Penta IPS is its compact size. This leaves space in the vessel’s enclosed cabin for a reclined patient,10 seated passengers, a defibrillator, and O2 equipment as well as first aid supplies. For firefighting, HBR 1 Copenhagen is also equipped with a pump, water cannon, two-ton crane, and diving platform. Below deck, in the storage room, there is 180 meters of fire hose along with an additional portable pump for on land use. So, the crew is prepared to respond to a multitude of different emergencies.  

“We are delighted that Volvo Penta IPS was chosen to power this vessel,” exclaimed Gerard Törneman, Sales Project Manager, Volvo Penta. “Our long history of working with Tuco Marine made this job very straightforward. And I think the results speak for themselves – the HBR 1 Copenhagen is truly a vessel fit for the challenge of protecting Copenhagen.”