l HMC Seeker, UK Border Force

HMC Seeker, the oldest of the four 42m cutters, off Great Yarmouth.

 

UK Border Force 42m Custom Cutters are a variant of the Dutch built Damen Stan 4207 Patrol Vessel. Similar vessels have been supplied to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Jamaican Defence Force, Mexican Navy and Venezuelan Navy among others. Damen's design includes the ability for an emplaced cannon and while at first sight it appears that the Boarder Force vessels of this class also feature one, it is in fact a water cannon. Border Force personnel are not armed with firearms, but can call on ships and personnel of the Royal Navy and National Crime Agency for firearms support.

HMC Seeker was built in 2001 for what was then HM Customs & Excise which became HM Revenue & Customs in 2005 and transferred to the Border Agency in 2008. This fleet was inherited by Border Force when the former was dissolved in 2013.

HMC Seeker and her three sister class 42m Customs Cutter, HMC Searcher, HMC Vigilant and HMC Valiant plus the Finish built Telkka Class Cutter, HMC Protector are operated by UK Border Force in the role of patrolling the waters of the United Kingdom.

All of the 42 m cutters are equipped with a 23 ft. (7m) RIB (rigid inflatable boat) capable of 32 knots, which is launched and recovered from the stern slipway and a davit launched 12ft. 6in. (3.8m) rescue boat.

 

Name: HMC Seeker

Vessel type: Patrol vessel

Class: Damen Stan Patrol 4207

Flag: United Kingdom

IMO: 9234795

MMSI: 235082000

Callsign: ZQNL2

Crew: 12

Length: 140 ft. 4 in. (42.08 m)

Beam: 23 ft. 3 in. (7.11 m)

Draught: 8 ft. 3 in. (2.52 m)

Gross tonnage: 238 tons

Engines: 2 x Caterpillar 3516B DI-TA Elec diesels

Engine output: 2 x 2,800 hp (2,088 kW)

Speed: 26 knots

Range at 12 knots: 1,750 nm (2,014 miles - 3,240 km)

Endurance: 14 days

Builder: Damen Shipyard, Gorinchem, Netherlands

Built: 2001

Construction: Hull, steel, Superstructure, aluminium

Operator: UK Border Force

 

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