Baltic Workboats recently said a new 38-metre multi-purpose workboat, KRATT, built for the Estonian State Fleet, has been christened at its Nasva shipyard in Saaremaa on 12 August.
KRATT is Estonia’s first large workboat to use biomethane as its primary fuel and is also equipped with a 400 kWh battery bank for electric propulsion.
On biomethane, the vessel can travel up to 1,000 nautical miles at a speed of seven knots. On battery power, it can operate for up to two hours at five knots. The battery bank also allows the vessel to use electric power for up to ten hours while at anchor, reducing the need to run auxiliary engines as well as fuel consumption, emissions and noise levels.
From autumn, the vessel will carry out a wide range of maritime tasks in Estonian waters, from buoy handling and fairway maintenance to marine research, pollution response and rescue operations.
According to Andres Laasma, Director General of the Estonian State Fleet, the gradual renewal of the state-owned fleet is essential to ensure the country’s ability to carry out its maritime duties.
“Our main workboats today are on average 30-40 years old, and maintaining their reliability is becoming more difficult and costly year by year. The new workboat KRATT will help ease this situation, as it is a multi-purpose vessel capable of performing a wide range of tasks,” Laasma said.
KRATT is the first major workboat ordered by the state in the past ten years.
Photo credit: Baltic Workboats
Published: 19 August, 2026
