| Career (South Africa) | South Africa |
|---|---|
| Name: | Sarah Baartman |
| Namesake: | Sarah Baartman |
| Operator: | Department of Environmental Affairs (South Africa) |
| Ordered: | 2002 |
| Laid down: | July 2003 |
| Launched: | 17 June 2004 |
| Commissioned: | 10 January 2005 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Offshore Environmental Protection Vessel |
| Length: | 82.9 m (272 ft) |
| Beam: | 13 m (43 ft) |
| Draught: | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Depth of hold: | 23.5 ft (7.2 m) |
| Propulsion: | 5,470 shp |
| Speed: | 22 knots |
| Range: | 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km) at 15 knots |
| Endurance: | 45 days |
| Complement: | 18 crew, 4 cadets, 7 officers |
| Armament: | None |
| Aviation facilities: | Helicopter landing pad |
The Sarah Baartman is a South African environmental protection vessel—of the Damen Offshore Patrol Vessel 8313 class.[1][2][3] The Sarah Baartman was commissioned on January 10, 2005.[4] She was built by Damen Group, of the Netherlands, at one of its Romanian shipyards, and was designed to be capable of patrolling South Africa's entire EEZ, including the area around the southerly Prince Edward Islands.[5][6][7]
On October 3, 2007 the Sarah Baartman took custody of two men accused of murdering a fellow crew member of the South African icebreaker SA Agulhas.[8][9]
The South African government has been criticized for chartering the Sarah Baartman to support offshore oil drilling.[10]
The vessels carry limited equipment for enclosing and skimming oil spills, and fire-fighting water cannons.[3]