KND Naval Design’s Sea Osprey design has won the Baird Maritime /Work Boat World Award for Best FiFi Boat 2025, the company reported this week.
The award follows the delivery of two high-speed 14.2m Sea Osprey work boats to Singapore’s Changi Airport Group, to bolster their Airport Emergency Service Division. Vessel construction took place at the Singapore facilities of Dundee Marine and Industrial Services.
The company described the award as “a great start to the year for KND Naval Design team”.
The boats will serve as first response SAR and firefighting platforms with space for three crewmembers and up to 19 rescued survivors on each vessel.
“In addition to having the same 40-knot top speed and beaching capability as a 12-metre (39-foot) command craft also built by Dundee Marine for the AES, the 14-metre boats feature firefighting monitors with an 80-metre (260-foot) throw distance and a discharge rate of 300 cubic metres (10,000 cubic feet) per hour,” Baird Maritime reported in May last year shortly after the vessels were delivered. “The boats are equipped with advanced trim systems that allow for both active trim and manual trim control to optimise trim angle and reduce drag, resulting in improved speed, fuel efficiency, and overall vessel performance,” Spenser Tan, General Manager of Dundee Marine, told Baird Maritime.
KND Naval Design specialises in custom vessels with high-performance hull designs. The company was founded in 1984 by Kobus Potgieter.
“The company’s prime focus was to become a world-class naval research and development facility, both locally and internationally. This objective, already achieved, continues to be our driving force,” KND says on its website.