The Netherlands Rescue Brigade has collected 22 barges – striking orange colored ‘unsinkable’ lifeboats – to be shipped from IJmuiden to Ukraine. The boats are perfectly suited to provide relief during the flood disaster that arose after the collapse of the Kakhovka dam near Kherson, in the south of the country.
Kees Buis of the Netherlands Rescue Brigade has been busy over the past few days and this weekend: 22 flatboats (see box at the bottom of the text) are on their way to IJmuiden, to be transported from there to the disaster area in Ukraine. The boats come to IJmuiden from all over the Netherlands, and it all started with a question from Foreign Affairs to the rescue brigade.
“They contacted us and asked what we could do for the flood disaster in Ukraine,” Buis tells NH. “The rescue brigade consists of separate associations that each purchase their own boats,” he explains. “The national lifeboat fleet owns 88 lifeboats and firefighters, but the various lifeboats across the country have hundreds more boats. Some of those boats are old or are nominated to be replaced.”
Still perfectly suitable
It is precisely those boats, which are still perfectly suitable for rescue work, that have been donated to Ukraine. “We made a call whether brigades had boats that are not needed for the actual deployment. In the end, 22 boats were made available.”
Text continues below the photo.
That it was actually boats that were ‘over’ was very important. Buis: “If Limburg floods again and we donate our active boats, we will be sitting with our hands in our hair,” says Buis. “That the donation had no influence on the deployability of the rescue brigades in the Netherlands was therefore a condition.” The collection went fairly smoothly. “Compare it to cleaning out your wardrobe. You always have something hanging that you never wear.”
The boats come from every corner of the country: from Hoorn to Middelburg. The intention is that they will be collected at the rescue brigade in IJmuiden. The government will provide transport to the disaster area, and the Netherlands Rescue Brigade expects the boats to be picked up on Monday and transported to Ukraine.
Vlets: multifunctional knucklebones
Vlets may look like comical boats: the little orange vessels are the best of their kind. “Vlets were already used in the 1950s after the flood disaster in ’53. The boats are 4.5 to 5 meters long and suitable for sailing in very shallow water,” says Kees Buis of the Netherlands Rescue Brigade. “It can hold six people: two rescuers and four rescuers, plus a little bit of luggage.” In addition, less experienced skippers can also use it. “It’s easy to sail with, it doesn’t require any complicated instructions.”
The 1950s veltje has now been upgraded to an impressive all-rounder, of which about 500 have been built in the Netherlands. Buis: “These are polyester boats, extremely robust, impact-resistant and unsinkable. When they sail against a piece of wall in a flooded area, the boat does not sink instantly. Even if a flatboat has a leak, it will not sink. You can literally fill it up without it sinking.” That is a different story with inflatable boats, Buis explains: if there is a hole in it, then the exercise is over.
And because barges only need 60 centimeters of water to sail on, they are suitable for use when evacuation is required through flooded streets, for example. “A multifunctional vessel”, Buis concludes.