On 12 March, Havariekommando, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME), held a naming ceremony for its latest vessel, a Damen Multi Cat (MuC) 2309. The vessel, named Lütt Matten, will operate out of Sassnitz on the Baltic island of Rügen, providing emergency response capabilities.
Havariekommando is responsible for performing maritime emergency management in the German Baltic and North Seas. The Damen MuC 2309 is a versatile vessel providing the capability to perform a wide range of duties including transport, monitoring and oil spill recovery.
Benefits of standardisation
Damen and Havariekommando signed the contract for the vessel at the end of 2024. The speed of delivery is due to Damen’s practice of building its vessels in series and on speculation. At the time of the order, Damen already had the hull in stock at its yard in Gorinchem, the Netherlands.
“The vessel’s standardised design has provided significant advantages. Much of the engineering had already been refined prior to construction, and the concept has proven its capabilities in operation. Close cooperation between all partners involved ensured that operational requirements were incorporated from the outset and that the vessel can effectively support maritime emergency response.”
Tailored versatility
To provide the required versatility, Damen fitted the standard MuC 2309 with a range of options. These included a Lamor oil spill recovery system and oil recovery tanks. Damen integrated these into the vessel. As a result of this, it is not required to store flexible tanks on deck, maximising the safety of operations and maintaining a free working area.
Other options included installation of a tugger winch, umbilical winch, A-frame, heating system and hydraulic towing pins.
Contributing to maritime safety
Damen Sales Manager for Germany Joschka Böddeling said, “I would like to offer my gratitude to Havariekommando for placing its trust in Damen. We are very happy to contribute to Germany’s maritime safety and security. I would additionally like to extend my gratitude to maritime consultancy Technolog Services in Hamburg for its support and positive collaboration throughout the project.
“When a ship is delivered, I usually assume that our customers will use their new vessel as intensively and economically as possible. In this case, however, we hope that its primary mission, deploying to respond to oil spills, will be required as rarely as possible.
“We are, therefore, all the more pleased that, thanks to its versatile equipment and high-performance design, the vessel can also be optimally deployed and economically operated for numerous other maritime tasks.”
The vessel is named for Lütt Matten, the main character in a children’s storybook written by Benno Pludra about a little boy living in a fishing community on the Baltic coast.