Rolls-Royce has unveiled the latest design in its family of coastal protection vessels at the Pacific 2006 exhibition in Sydney (Australia). Navies, coastguards and public agencies are increasingly interested in ships which can monitor, patrol and protect their waters and also carry out pollution control, salvage and firefighting tasks. Rolls-Royce draws on a commercial ship design heritage which has seen over 600 of its vessels built over the last 30 years.

The latest design, the UT527, delivers firefighting, emergency towage and pollution control capability and can hold up to 320 survivors of a marine disaster. A medium-sized helicopter and two smaller daughter craft are also available for specific missions. It can remain at sea for up to three years without return if required, changing crew and being replenished at sea. The 92-metre long ship, powered by Rolls-Royce Bergen diesel engines, will be capable of more than 20 knots and have an unrefuelled range of 20,000 nautical miles at 16 knots. Rolls-Royce has identified three naval markets for its ship designs – Coastal Protection (Exclusive Economic Zone) vessels, Underway Replenishment ships, and Fast Logistics vessels.