The first in a series of five advanced Coast Guard vessels has reached its final port destination in Falkenberg on the West coast of Sweden.
With the help of a Volvo Penta propulsion system, it is claimed that the ships are to reduce fuel consumption by approximately 30% compared to traditional installations.
The KBV312 is the first ship in a series of five versatile coastguard vessels which will be used primarily for maritime surveillance, border control, fisheries control, protection of the environment, rescue and civil protection, monitoring and diving operations.
To give the vessel the best overall performance, the Volvo Penta IPS 1050 complete propulsion system was selected. The system consists of triple Volvo Penta IPS 1050 based on 3 x D13-800 Rating 4 engines at 588kW each, giving at total propulsion power of 1764kw and 3 x IPS 3 fully integrated pod units (gearbox, exhaust system, rudder and steering machinery).
The very low fuel consumption over the whole speed range is predicted to create great cost savings for the Swedish Coast Guard and with reduced CO2 and NOx emissions, the environmental impact will be reduced. The engines are already meeting the EPA tier 3 emission levels in force 2014. The system is type approved by DNV.
During test trials the vessel reached a speed of 32 knots fully loaded and the time to accelerate from idle to 20 knots was only 7.5 seconds.
