Naval Analyses: VIKING Norsafe MUNIN S1200 Extended Cabin ambulance boat of the Hellenic Coast Guard

Written by D-Mitch

VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 Extended Cabin

As I had reported in early February, in the article VIKING Norsafe boats for the Hellenic Armed Forces (Part B: Hellenic Navy and Hellenic Coast Guard), the VIKING Norsfafe Hellas was manufacturing that time three (3) VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 Extended Cabin offshore, high-performance, ambulance boats, for the the Hellenic Coast Guard at its facilities in Theba, Greece. The boats are designed to support emergency services in the Aegean Sea. The international tender was concluded after cooperation between the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Greek Emergency Response Organization (E.K.A.B), in an initiative supported and financed by the European Union under the INTERREG V-A Cooperation Program 2014-2020. The cost for the three boats reached the 1,398,000 euros. All three ambulance boats are scheduled for delivery during the summer of 2020 and will operate in remote Greek islands of the Aegean. This post will walk you through the first boat that was delivered on August 3 and will be stationed in Naxos island, the largest of the Cyclades island group. Τhe other two vessels will be stationed in Rhodes and Leros.
UPDATE: By February 2022, the Hellenci Coast Guard has receive eight (8) vessels.

VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 Extended Cabin of Hellenic Coast Guard

The VIKING Norsafe brand of boats and davits was established when the Norwegian boatbuilder Norsafe joined the Danish VIKING group in 2018. The VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 Extended Cabin multi-role ambulance boat, is a modified design of the very successful Munin S1200 Cabin and it is the first in a series of special craft equipped with medical equipment. It has a length of 12 metres and a speed of 45 knots at full load. The maximum range is +350nm with a cruising speed of 35 knots thanks to its twin stern drive Mercury diesel engines supplying a combined 740hp. The displacement exceeds the 7t at full load. The boat operates safely up to Beaufort force 8 and at a wave height up to 4m. The crew consists of 4 people and it can accommodate 10 seated persons in total (12 passengers maximum). The boat has four compartments: the medical area, the cockpit area, the passengers' room and the small WC.

The new ambulance boat during extensive sea trials

The S1200 comes complete with shock mitigation technology, ensuring safe patient transport to larger hospitals and allowing high-quality medical services to be provided in transit. The VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 Ext. Cabin is fabricated with multi-axial hybrid kevlar reinforced vinylester (GRP) and divinycell sandwich. Longitudinal box stiffeners and transverse bulkheads provide structural strength. The hull is a two stepped deep-V type with transom, providing optimal sea keeping ability at all speeds and in all conditions. A heavy duty polyethylene fender protects the hull and absorbing impacts. The foam fender is protected by a double skin of reinforced PVC and secured with sail tracks at gunwale and chine level. The deck is covered with heavy duty anti-slip surface. The boat is fitted with a hybrid air/foam-filled collar, mounted to a solid fiberglass gunnel. Instead of a fully circular tube, the Impact D-collar allows for more space on deck and added maneuverability and versatility for the crew. The D-collar gives customers the best characteristics of a standard fiberglass hull with the benefits of a RHIB. The center console features engine’s controls and monitoring system, navigation instruments, loudhailer, VHF and intercom system. The electronic equipment of the boat includes also Echo sounder, a Lowrance radar, FLIR night vision thermal camera and GPS/chart plotter and others. All deck lights, strobe lights and search lights are LEDs with no disturbance for VHF, DAB or other communication systems.

VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 Extended Cabin in sea trials

Worth of mention is that the equipment on board corresponds to an intensive care unit (ICU)! The medical - sanitary equipment includes shock absorbing stretcher, patient transport seat, multi-injured immobilizer board, patient resuscitation-artificial ventilation device, defibrillator, portable respirator, surgical instruments, and others. The boats are equipped with twin stretchers, resuscitation devices and all the necessary medical equipment to help perform rescue operations, medical evacuations and other humanitarian missions under harsh weather conditions in cases of emergency. It has no armament but it can assume a variety of roles including SAR, patrol and surveillance.

VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 Extended Cabin ambulance boat

On May 22, it was announced that the Coast Guard will order three (3) additional boats while on August 3 the order was increased to four (4) boats to cover the needs of Ionian Sea, Argo-Saronic Gulf, Sporades and Samothrace. All seven boats are being manufactured in Greece.

Twin stern drive

FLIR camera and Navico LOWRANCE navigation radar

Navico LOWRANCE navigation radar and searchlight

View from the stern and the rear access door

The two Mercury diesel engines supply a combined 740hp

View of the first boat prior to the delivery to the Coast Guard

The larger cabin in comparison with the regular Munin S1200

Another view of the first ambulance boat

View of the bow

The following photos are from the ambulance cabin.

View of the medical equipment on board

View of the medical equipment compartment

Note the STEM Marine shock absorbing stretcher-support for nautical use,
with self-adjusting hydro pneumatic suspension based on the patient's weight.