• Named “Condor”, the Rodman 138 is a patrol vessel intended for offshore missions and coastal surveillance service.
• She is the longest offshore patrol vessel in fibreglass polyester ever built in Europe, and probably worldwide, so far.
• Her building has been a milestone for the shipyard, allowing it to enter a new segment, that of vessels up to 45 metres in length built in GRP.

Rodman Polyships S.A.U., a shipyard of the Rodman Group specialised in the building of all types of FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Polyester) vessels, finishes this April the delivery of a new vessel to the Spanish Tax Administration Agency (Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria). This is the new Rodman 138, the longest offshore patrol vessel in Fiberglass Reinforced Polyester that has been built in Europe and probably worldwide, so far, which is already part of the Customs Surveillance fleet to carry out missions at sea and provide coastal patrol service, covering large surveillance areas.

The building of this model has been a milestone for the shipyard, permitting it to enter a new segment that of vessels up to 45 metres in length built in FRP, which will open up new opportunities at international level, as pioneers and leaders in this segment.

Official delivery ceremony

The Rodman Polyships facilities in Moaña were the venue for the official delivery ceremony which was attended by a large number of national, regional and local authorities, including the general director of the Tax Administration Agency, Jesús Gascón; the representative of the Government in Galicia, José Manuel Miñones; the deputy vice-president and Economy, Enterprise and Innovation Minister of the Xunta de Galicia (Regional Government), Francisco Conde; the Mayor of Moaña, Leticia Santos and the Mayor of Vigo, Abel Caballero; representatives of the Customs Department and Special Delegation of the AEAT (Spanish Tax Administration Agency) as well as the State Bodies Security Forces.

Sponsored by the Secretary of State for Finance, Inés Bardón, who also took part in the delivery ceremony, this new model was named “Condor”, adopting the name from the 1980s and 1990s when a series of camouflaged patrol boats served under this name during a particularly intense period in the fight against drug trafficking in Spain.

Coastal and Offshore Missions

“We, from Rodman, are proud to have built one of the largest vessels in the world in Fibreglass Reinforced Polyester”, said in his speech the President of the shipyard, Manuel Rodriguez, adding that “the building of the Condor, the pride of this shipyard, has meant a milestone for us, enabling the creation of a new segment that is growing at international level”.

With an overall length of 43 metres and a top speed of 26 knots, the vessel has been conceived by the shipyard’s design, development and engineering teams, perfectly combining high performance, reliability, building quality and seaworthiness characteristics. In addition, the vessel has been equipped with an innovative stabiliser system to reduce rolling and pitching both at rest and underway, as well as to improve performance, fuel economy and safer operation in extreme conditions. Propulsion is provided by two 1,500 kW four-stroke diesel engines.

With a capacity for a crew of 18, accommodated in eight independent cabins and with a range of more than 2,000 nautical miles, doubling that of a conventional patrol vessel, the Rodman 138 provides great versatility in the naval operations against drug trafficking conducted by the Customs Surveillance, as the vessel will be able to provide service to the coastal patrol bases covering wide coastline areas but will also be capable of performing offshore interceptions.

To this end, for a few months the vessel will be in operation in the Vigo area, while guaranteeing her full operational conditions and subsequently be assigned to different reference bases during her service live, depending on the service needs at that moment.

Assistance at sea

The new Rodman 138 Condor is also equipped with a castaway rescue system that includes the installation of collection areas close to the water level to facilitate rescue, thus enabling the vessel to participate in humanitarian emergencies along the Spanish coasts.

Likewise, the vessel has also been fitted with a powerful fire-fighting water cannon to support other vessels in the event of an accident at sea.

The completion and final execution of this vessel consolidates Rodman’s position as one of the world leaders in the building of professional FRP vessels. All the professional and leisure boats built by the shipyard are recognised and highly valued by the most demanding Owners, as well as by organisations and governmental agencies all over the world.