Three new Damen search and rescue vessels have been handed over to Jawar al Khaleej (JAK) on 23 September at Albwardy Damen in Sharjah. The vessels are two Damen SPi 1605 SAR class plus one Damen STe 1905 SAR. A SAR 1906 is under construction, while Damen has also completed the conversion of the Jawar 31.
The vessels, names Jawar 28, Jawar 29 and Jawar 30, will be deployed in Iraqi waters under a twenty-year contract between JAK and the Iraqi Ports Authority. They were delivered within five months after the contract was signed. JAK’s remit is to establish and operate a Search & Rescue Centre based in Basra in cooperation with the government-owned General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI). The state-of-the-art centre and its vessels will bring new capabilities in search and rescue to Iraqi waters.
The new boats, while based on standard Damen designs, are fully equipped for search and rescue operations. Night vision cameras, onboard CCTV, man overboard platforms, stretchers first aid equipment and oxygen supplies are all part of their specification.
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SAR 1906 under construction
In addition, a Damen Search and Rescue (SAR) 1906 is under construction for JAK. This vessel represents the next generation of rescue boats and has been developed in close cooperation with the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM).
As would be expected from a rescue boat, this design will self-right within seconds after a capsize or even a 360° roll. The SAR 1906 series has been proven with their operations with the KNRM and the Turkish Coast Guard to be a superior search and rescue boat able to operate in challenging sea conditions.
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Conversion of the Jawar 31
During the delivery ceremony of the three SAR vessels, JAK also celebrated the completion of the conversion of the Jawar 31. A 122-metre vessel that has been refurbished to newbuilding standards and converted by Albwardy Damen to a multi-purpose heavy-lift vessel, it has oil response capabilities and is equipped with a fully electric 250-tonne class crawler crane.
While Iraq’s coastline is just 58 kilometres in length, it is extremely busy with around eighty per cent of Iraq’s oil exports departing from the Al Basra Oil Terminal. Besides the offshore rescue capabilities, the JAK search and rescue centre will also cover Iraq’s rivers.
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More than twenty vessels
Pascal Slingerland, regional sales director Middle East at Damen: ‘Over the past two decades we have had the privilege of delivering more than twenty vessels, including fourteen that were delivered five years ago for terminal operations.’
The hand-over ceremony was arranged by Jawar Al Khaleej with all the key suppliers invited including Liebherr (cranes), Lamor (oil recovery equipment), ABS (class society), Watertek, Albwardy Damen (new building, ship repair and conversions) and Damen, to celebrate the collaboration of all the involved parties and the successful delivery.
Picture (top): The search and rescue vessels Jawar 28, Jawar 29, Jawar 30 (by Damen).
