Baltic Workboats

BALTIC WORKBOATS

VEERING TO THE FUTURE

powered by Inside Marine

Baltic workboats has over two decades, experience in the shipbuilding industry. With an overwhelming expertise in ship building, the company has now turned its hand to electric boats – creating more sustainable vessels in the process. Head of Sales and Marketing Rimo Timm discussed this progression alongside the company’s latest projects and its ability to overcome adversity, in conversation with Imogen Ward.

ASbusy as ever, Baltic Workboats is continuously producing exceptional vessels. With a more recent focus on renewable energy sources, the company is doing everything to ensure a positive environmental impact Furthering this, the company currently has two windmills and an array of solar panels that fulfil the shipyard’s entire energy demands. Hoping to broaden the impact of its solar energy, the company is also

tolooking to expand its panel numbers –having previously installed these on the roofs of its shipyard buildings.

Known for its manufacturing quality, Baltic Workboats has a wide array of projects on the go. From diesel-powered workboats to the more recent demand for electric propulsion in ferries, the company is consistently adapting to any customer request.

With a varying portfolio, Baltic Workboats designs and manufactures ferries, patrol ships, pilot vessels, tugs and workboats. Each type of boat also comes in a range of models. This includes10 types of pilot boat that range from 12m to 24m, all of which include the company’s innovative, patented wave-piercing technology. This enables the vessels to cut seamlessly through high waves – making them extremely efficient when at sea.

The company’s flexibility also enables it to produce eight different types of ferries. These start at 16m and include

a triumphantly large electric ferry just shy of 100m. Featuring three electric models and one hybrid, Baltic Workboats is reinforcing its commitment to sustainability.

Exploring electricity

Since its last interview with Inside Marine , Baltic Workboats successfully overcame several global challenges. Undeterred by the limitations brought on by the pandemic – with 14 vessels being commissioned during this time – the company found itself adapting to Covid restrictions using Virtual Reality (VR).

“Our engineers were in communication with the commissioning committee for these projects,” said Head of Sales and Marketing Rimo Timm. “The equipment manufacturers in Germany instructed our engineers via the commissioning programme remotely, using the VR.”

Baltic Workboats also used this software to supply clients with vessel progress pictures. The company is now implementing this technology with further clients. This practice has enabled the completion of commissioning and trials on a remote basis After seeing how useful this technology is, the company has now committed to using VR after the pandemic. This has saved the customers and Baltic Workboats valuable time and money.

Forming a separate research and development department this year, Baltic Workboats has shifted focus toward innovation to ensure its products evolve with the times. Concentrating efforts on new platform technologies and investing time into reducing the ecological impact of its vessels, the company continues to expand its electric fleet.

Three fully electric vessels are currently in production, including a 30-metre catamaran and one 19-metre passenger ferry and one 12-metre pilot vessel. The company also experienced an increasing demand for electric pilot boats. With a top speed of 25 knots, these vessels are perfect for short journeys and charters that are focused more inland.

“We really see that there is a market requirement for these vessels,” said Mr Timm, “especially on rivers and lakes where the journeys are shorter, and charging is only required for a short time.”

Uncharted territory

More recently, Baltic Workboats signed its first ever contract in Canada. Agreeing to this exciting opportunity, the company will deliver a PILOT 17 WP boat to the Laurentian Pilotage Authority (LPA) in first half of 2023. This vessel will also feature an IMO III exhaust system, which ensures the

reduction of nitrogen oxide, effectively squashing LPA’s environmental impact even more.

“Baltic Workboats saw that it could offer a new product in Canada,” said Mr Timm, “and the technical requirements matched the company’s product range well. We are now working really hard to deliver top quality products to the Canadian market. Hopefully, in the future we can use this contract as a reference to gain more commissions in the area.”

The company is constantly improving its products and assessing current market availability. Because of this investment, Baltic Workboats is extremely flexible, quickly adapting to situations where necessary.

“We haven’t expanded the facilities at the moment,” Mr Timm said, “but we have all the permissions required if the opportunity occurred for building bigger vessels than our facilities can currently handle.”

On the horizon

Looking forward, Baltic Workboats has several plans in place to ensure its continuous success.

Baltic Workboats is considering packaging its integrated alarm, monitoring and control system (IAMCS) as a branded product for sale in the marine market. This investment is in response to huge interest during recent exhibitions. The company is experienced in the production of IAMCS, having developed the system over the past 10 years. Highly flexible, the system can be designed precisely to customer requirements, which is proving extremely popular with Baltic Workboats’ current customers.

Following such a successful year, the company also intends to put its research and development team to work on economical solutions. With a highly experienced and dedicated team, Baltic Workboats has been boosting its operations to curb the impact of inflation within the energy sector. The company is optimistic for next year, and more specifically the future of the supply chain, predicting an improvement on delays.

Very happy with current production figures, the company has successfully matched last year’s rates. The company has also filled up contract slots for 2023. Regardless of the current instability of the marketplace, Baltic Workboats is resilient and confident in its position.

Having dealt with recent supply issues –waiting upwards of four months for certain vessel parts – Baltic Workboats has depended greatly on its reliable suppliers. Ever loyal, the company is continuing to nurture these relationships. Working in partnership with vital suppliers, such as Volvo Penta, Kongsberg and ZF among others, Baltic Workboats conceptualises excellence and brings its pragmatic and effortless visions to life in all different forms.

“Our suppliers are so important to us,” Mr Timm concluded. “We are doing everything we can to maintain good relationships with our suppliers and are working in partnership with them to find solutions and get our deliveries to our customers as quickly as possible. It is so important to keep everybody in the loop to avoid any misunderstandings.” n