A Damen RoRo 5612 was launched at Halong Shipyard in Vietnam. The RoRo
is one of nine Damen vessels ordered by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force
as part of its Sandy Bottom Project. The vessel’s multi-purpose
capabilities will be put to use by the Defence Force in a range of situations
including law enforcement, aids to navigation (ATON), replenishment
at sea (RAS), the re-supply to Defence Force bases and the provision
of disaster relief throughout the island nation and the wider Caribbean
community. |
The Bahamas’
location in the Hurricane Belt makes it important that the country has
this capability. The Defence Force works with the National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA) for the provision of disaster relief. NEMA
has pre-deployed warehouses throughout the country, stocked with all
the necessary food, fuels, tools and equipment that the Defence Force
is responsible for transporting in the event of an emergency.
Independent rapid response
The Damen RoRo 5612, will provide the Defence Force with a means of
independent, rapid response to any situation that might arise throughout
the 500-mile span of the island chain. Damen is providing the vessel
with an on board disaster package, featuring modular containers hosting
a field kitchen, emergency power generators, first-aid station, drinking
water treatment facilities and tools for carrying out repairs, amongst
other things. The containers can easily be placed on board the vessel
for transportation and unloaded when they are not required, freeing
up deck space for other operations.
Commander Warren Bain of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force has been in
the Netherlands, working closely with Damen throughout the project.
He explains: “With this vessel we will be able to respond to storm
warnings faster, pre-deploying emergency supplies to where they are
needed. Then we can get the vessel to a safe place, returning swiftly
to execute a plan of assistance as soon as the storm has passed. We
can deploy this vessel wherever it is needed, not only in the Bahamas,
but across the entire Caribbean region.”
Recently, the Disaster Relief Containers for the vessel successfully
passed their Factory Acceptance Test and have now sailed from Amsterdam
to Nassau, the Bahamas in order for local training in their usage and
maintenance to take place.
Commander Bain says that the training has been very successful: “It’s
been going very well. Two other Bahamas’ Government agencies heard
about the containers and came to observe the training. As a result,
they have also expressed interest in acquiring similar units for their
own requirements.” |
