Griffon Hoverwork from UK delivers its new 995ED hovercraft to Hong Kong and Estonia.

According to information published on January 13, 2021, British company hovercraft manufacturer Griffon Hoverwork has delivered two of its new 995ED hovercraft for Hong Kong and Estonia.
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Griffon Hoverwork 995ED hovercraft of Estonian Border Guard. (Picture source Griffon Hoverwork)

The contract includes the delivery of two eight-meter-long 995EDs made for the Hong Kong Marine Police and one for the Estonian Border Guard. In total seven 995ED hovercraft have been built and sold since the model was unveiled at the ExpoNaval trade fair in Chile in 2018 with clients ranging from the Malaysia Marine Department to private customers.

In Hong Kong the 995ED is suited to operate over parts of the region’s shallow and highly congested waters counteracting illegal trade and fishing. Meanwhile in Estonia, the 995ED is performing border guard operations over ground and ice.

The Griffon 995ED is a fully amphibious hovercraft capable of carrying a maximum payload of 995kg, or up to eight persons, at high speeds over a variety of surfaces. The hovercraft can reach a top of 30 knots in fully loaded conditions. The very large and accessible main compartment has outfit options for many different roles such as search & rescue, surveying, passenger ferry or military operations.

Hovercraft like the 995ED are more effective, efficient and environmentally sensitive than ordinary patrol boats and RIBs as they can operate over shallow waters, debris and ice which boats cannot, moreover they have a big advantage with higher passenger capacity and payload than helicopters which are also extremely expensive, said Griffon Hoverwork Sales and Marketing director, Nick MacLeod-Ash. 

The extremely light-weight and efficient hull is constructed from marine grade aluminum alloy and designed to comply with ISO 12215-5:2008. Either side of the hull is flat inflatable side bodies to which the skirt is attached. This innovative system significantly improves the working area compared to the hovercraft of a similar size whilst maintaining the ability for them to be deflated for transportation.

The 995ED is supplied as standard with a GRP wheelhouse over the operators' position giving weather protection to the front seat and controls. The cabin can be fitted out in a number of role options including additional seats, stretcher hold-downs, and equipment tie-down points.

Unique to the 995ED are its 2 standard power modules containing a proven and world-wide supported 67kW Ford Tyger diesel engine driving a highly efficient integral lift fan and electric generator. If one power module is inactive, the craft can be operated (with reduced performance) on the other alone.