While the first boat is stationed at the Upper-Sûre lake, the second was inaugurated on the Moselle on Thursday, permitting police patrols to take place along Luxembourg’s largest river. RTL attended the inauguration in Grevenmacher.
Beneath clear and sunny skies, Minister Léon Gloden explained the reasons for choosing 6 June for the ceremony:
“Today marks D-Day, the day of the Normandy landings when Allied forces arrived by sea to defend the continent’s freedom. I always say, there is no freedom without security. And this new vessel is part of our police force’s global mission to guarantee security in Luxembourg, not just on land, but also on water.”
The new boat, seven metres long and made entirely of aluminium, cost around €130,000 and possesses a 200-horsepower engine. With a regular crew of two people on board, it can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h. Unlike the other police vessel, this boat has a covered cabin and also boasts more sophisticated equipment, explains Mike Greisch, head of Grevenmacher police.
“This boat has the GPS-Echolot, which offers a similar GPS map to roads, showing our exact location. This will enable us to have more accurate locations when searching for missing people, for example, as boats don’t stop the way a car does, especially with the river currents. The Echolot also allows us to search the waters and the riverbed more effectively.”
The boat’s crew is made up of six officers who are also deployed on the roads, with two or three people on board at any given time. Their role is to monitor privately-owned boats, provide security for sports events or state visits, and to ensure all rules are adhered to along the waterways, particularly in summer. The new boat is named the “Golf 70", from the NATO alphabet, and stands for Grevenmacher, while the 7 refers to unity and the 0 to the boat itself.
