Marine Alutech secures EUR 100 million German firefighting boat programme

Finnish shipbuilder Marine Alutech Oy has secured a contract to supply 11 firefighting support boats to the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as the City of Frankfurt am Main.

The contract is valued at more than one hundred million euro, according to the company.

The vessels will combine advanced firefighting, technical rescue and hazard prevention capabilities, providing emergency services with enhanced capacity to protect people, critical infrastructure and the environment on inland waterways.

Marine Alutech operates production facilities in both Finland and Germany. Project management and lifecycle support for the programme will be handled by Marine Alutech GmbH in Rheinberg, North Rhine-Westphalia.

The company is also participating in a Nordic industrial consortium supporting the Finnish Border Guard's fleet renewal programme, as reported yesterday. Under that programme, Marine Alutech will supply patrol boats.

The first vessel is scheduled for delivery in early 2028 and will undergo a year of operational testing before full-rate production begins.

Lessons learned during the trial period will be incorporated into the remaining vessels. The programme aims to introduce a new generation of high-capability firefighting support boats for emergency response on the Rhine and Main rivers.

Series deliveries are scheduled to begin at the end of 2029 and conclude by mid-2032.

In a separate statement, Herbert Reul, Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, described the Rhine and Main as vital arteries for the participating states.

- They are also essential transport routes, and in an emergency every minute counts. This requires skilled personnel and modern technology that performs reliably. The new boats bring speed, capability and reliability to operations on the water. Together, we will be more effective.

Of the eleven vessels, eight will be based in North Rhine-Westphalia, two in Rhineland-Palatinate and one in the City of Frankfurt am Main.