KRATT: A Biomethane-Fueled, Ice-Class Workboat

August 17, 2026

Image courtesy Estonia State Fleet, by Robert Markus Liiv
Image courtesy Estonia State Fleet, by Robert Markus Liiv
Image courtesy Estonia State Fleet, by Robert Markus Liiv
Image courtesy Estonia State Fleet, by Robert Markus Liiv

Estonia has taken delivery of a new 38-meter multipurpose workboat that combines compressed biomethane and battery-electric propulsion with research, buoy-handling, pollution-response and rescue capabilities in a single vessel.

Named KRATT, the new vessel was designed and built by Baltic Workboats for the Estonian State Fleet and christened August 12 at Saaremaa, Estonia. The €22 million vessel is scheduled to enter service in Estonian waters this autumn.

At the center of the newbuild is an alternative-fuel power plant designed around compressed biomethane (CBM) as its primary fuel, four 350-kW gas generator sets and a 400-kWh battery system. The arrangement is intended to allow the vessel to match its power source and operating mode to the mission rather than continuously operating conventional diesel machinery.

On biomethane, KRATT has a stated range of up to 1,000 nautical miles at 7 knots, while its battery system allows the vessel to operate for up to two hours at 5 knots under electric propulsion. Maximum vessel speed is 11 knots.

The battery installation also addresses one of the less visible sources of fuel consumption aboard working vessels: extended periods spent stationary while supporting research, maintenance or other operations. At anchor, KRATT can draw on battery power for up to 10 hours, reducing the requirement to operate generator machinery and consequently cutting fuel consumption, emissions and onboard noise.

“KRATT is a milestone for Estonia in moving towards more sustainable shipping and a good example for others to follow,” said Kuldar Leis, Estonia’s Minister of Infrastructure. “We need to develop our fleet intelligently – one vessel should be able to perform as many different tasks as possible while doing so with a lower environmental impact.”

Captain Sander Laus. Photo courtesy Estonican State Fleet, by Robert Markus Liiv

One Hull, Multiple Missions

That multipurpose philosophy extends well beyond the propulsion plant.

KRATT will primarily support seasonal navigation buoy maintenance and deployment and fairway services, but its equipment package enables the vessel to shift into environmental monitoring, marine research, hydrographic and geological work, pollution response and search-and-rescue operations.

A key piece of its working equipment is a deck crane rated to lift 15 tonnes at a three-meter outreach from the vessel’s side, providing the capacity required to handle buoys as well as research equipment, containers and seabed installations.

The vessel can conduct water and sediment sampling, seabed sonar surveys and meteorological and biological observations, as well as tow research equipment. It is also configured for the deployment, operation and recovery of remotely operated and autonomous systems, extending its usefulness as new generations of marine robotic systems enter service.

For embarked scientists, KRATT incorporates approximately 50 sq. m. of wet and dry laboratory space, including sampling equipment, a seawater flow-through system and connections for operating scientific instrumentation.

The vessel can remain at sea for up to seven days without replenishment, with accommodations for six crew and as many as 10 researchers. Supporting spaces include a galley, mess, office, recreation and sports areas and utility spaces.

“For a small maritime country, it is important that state vessels are used as efficiently as possible,” said Andres Laasma, Director General of the Estonian State Fleet. “KRATT is designed as a genuinely multipurpose platform, allowing us to carry out a wide range of essential tasks with one highly capable vessel.”

Pollution Response + Ice Operations

KRATT also adds a significant emergency-response asset to Estonia's fleet. According to the Estonian State Fleet, the vessel is designed to provide approximately 25% of the country's national oil pollution response capacity, using mobile and portable equipment for containment and recovery.
Its Baltic operating profile also required capability beyond open-water operations.

The 38-m vessel has a 10-m beam, 2.5-moperating draft and 3-m maximum draft and was constructed to Ice Class 1C. It is designed to make at least 2 knots through level ice up to 40 cm thick, giving the workboat an operating window extending well beyond the Baltic summer season.

“When building this vessel, it was essential to find a solution that combines high work capacity, versatility and a lower environmental impact,” said Margus Vanaselja, Chairman of the Management Board of Baltic Workboats. “Combining biomethane and electricity offers strong opportunities to achieve this and makes the vessel unique in its solutions on a global scale.”

Built in Estonia

The contract for KRATT's design and construction was signed with Baltic Workboats in January 2024. Its hull was subcontracted to Damen Shipyards Gdańsk in Poland, where it was completed and launched in autumn 2025.

The hull was subsequently transported to Saaremaa, where Baltic Workboats performed outfitting, systems integration and final construction. The complete design-and-build program took approximately 30 months.

The €22 million project was financed through the European Union's NextGenerationEU Recovery Fund.

The result is a vessel that uses its hybrid power architecture for more than a headline emissions claim. The 400-kWh battery can assume different roles depending on the operating profile — providing electric propulsion for low-speed operations or supplying hotel and mission loads during extended periods at anchor — while four 350-kW gas generators provide a combined 1.4 MW of installed generating capacity.

At the same time, its seven-day endurance, heavy-lift crane, laboratories, Ice Class 1C capability and accommodations for a 16-person complement give Estonia a single platform capable of assuming missions that might otherwise be distributed among several specialized vessels.

Even the vessel's name reflects that approach. In Estonian folklore, a kratt is a tireless creature capable of performing a wide range of tasks — an apt description for a workboat conceived around doing more jobs from a single hull.