In an emergency, the rescue cruisers of the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS) are the life insurance of their crews. When they go out on the North Sea and Baltic Sea to rescue people in distress, even under the most adverse conditions, the sea rescuers have 100 percent confidence in their ships. That is why the DGzRS constantly maintains its rescue units and equips them with the latest technology. Protection at their berths is also a high priority.
The DGzRS rescue cruiser Harro Koebke is moored at the west pier in Sassnitz harbor, Germany. Nevertheless, the slight swell moves the ship up and down, back and forth. To protect the ship and quay wall from damages, two pneumatic fenders have been installed in Sassnitz since mid-March 2021, donated by fender specialist ShibataFenderTeam. The protective fenders are made of reinforced, abrasion-resistant rubber layers, absorbing the ship impact by waves actions. In this way, they prevent the sea rescue cruiser from hitting the concrete quay wall and damaging its hull.
In 2009, the SFT Group donated the first pneumatic fender to the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service for the sea rescue station in Cuxhaven, Germany. The fender, with an outer diameter of 1000 mm and a length of 2000 mm, was handed over personally by our colleague Ms. Kirsten Lausen. Since then, we have made annual fender donations.
“The two floating fenders are ideal for the conditions at our berth,” says DGzRS foreman Andreas Schumacher. “With them, the starboard side of the Harro Koebke is perfectly protected. We would like to thank the ShibataFenderTeam very much for their great commitment.”
We at SFT believe that every company can and should make a contribution to the welfare of society. That is why we stand firmly by the sea rescuers side, and have once again donated fenders for their import and life-saving work. As long as possible, the ShibataFenderTeam Group will continue to support the life-saving activities of the sea rescuers in the coming years. We hope to encourage other people and companies to support the DGzRS (or their local maritime search and rescue service) as well.
Republished from Marine Construction Magazine Issue IV, 2021
