A new patrol boat is on the Rhine: the WSP 2. 17.30 meters long, weighing almost 16 tons and equipped with two 450 hp engines.
The most modern boat in the service fleet was ceremoniously christened in May 2023 and launched into the water for its maiden voyage. The NRW State Office for Central Police Services was responsible for procuring the WSP 2. Head of the authority Thomas Roosen was present at the naming ceremony and said: "I am particularly proud of what my team has achieved in procuring the boats. This is because we made the best possible use of the requirements of public procurement law and concluded a long-term framework agreement with the shipyard."
The framework agreement has the major advantage that canal and Rhine patrol boats come from a single source, resulting in a uniform fleet that meets the high quality standards of the NRW police.
In close cooperation, the practitioners of the water police and the experts at the LZPD have compiled what a new boat must bring to the table and drawn up the specifications for the award procedure. Together, they laid the foundations for another modern boat with a thermal imaging camera and the latest sonar technology to be deployed on the Rhine.
The waterway police are responsible for around 900 kilometers of waterways in NRW. In the Düsseldorf watch area, the "WSP 2" will in future take police officers to accidents and inspections on ships, environmental crimes or rescue operations involving people and animals. Its predecessor, the old WSP 2, is retiring after 30 years.