Interior Ministry takes possession of new Border Guard boats

Press release no. 135

On Thursday 7 September the Ministry of the Interior and the Border Guard Administration will be taking possession of two solid-based rubber-buoyed boats, obtained with the aid of Schengen Facility funds, which will play a role in securing the external borders of the Schengen visa space.

The Border Guard will be using the RIB-type boats (Rigid Inflatable Boats), based on the Boomeranger RIB C-1100 model, to increase the frequency of their patrols and to prevent violations on the external borders of the Schengen zone. The boats will be employed in patrols in the North-Eastern, Northern and Western Border Guard regions.

The two-man boats have an enclosed wheelhouse. They are 11.1 metres long and weigh 5.7 tonnes. At full weight the boats can travel at speeds of up to 35 knots. The boats are fitted with 540 horsepower Cummins motors and a new feature is the use of Rolls-Royce waterjets as driving gears. The boats come with their own specially constructed trailer so that they can be moved from one place to another on land (for example from Mehikoorma to Pärnu).

The Ministry of the Interior and the Border Guard Administration signed a contract with Boomeranger Boats Oy in November 2005 for seven speed boats. The total amount of the contract was 26 million kroons (plus VAT). According to the contract the supplier will provide 14 border guards with thorough training in piloting and maintenance of the vehicles. The first four boats were brought to Estonia in June 2006 and are currently being used in patrols on Lake Peipsi, along the Narva River and in the Gulf of Finland.

The procurement agreement for the RIBs is being completely financed with Schengen Facility programme funds.