Sarah Baartman (ship)

Sarah Baartman is a South African environmental protection vessel—of the Damen Offshore Patrol Vessel 8313 class.^[2][3][4] The Sarah Baartman was commissioned on 10 January 2005.^[5] Named after Khoikhoi woman, Sarah Baartman, she was built by Damen Group, of the Netherlands, at one of its Romanian shipyards, and was designed to be capable of patrolling South Africa's entire EEZ, including the area around the southerly Prince Edward Islands.^[6][7][8]

History
South Africa
Name	Sarah Baartman
Namesake	Sarah Baartman
Operator	Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries[1]
Ordered	2002
Laid down	July 2003
Launched	17 June 2004
Commissioned	10 January 2005
Identification	IMO number: 9288679 MMSI number: 601739000 Callsign: ZRSB
General characteristics
Class & type	Offshore environmental protection vessel
Length	82.9 m (272 ft 0 in)
Beam	13 m (42 ft 8 in)
Draught	4 m (13 ft)
Depth of hold	7.2 m (23.5 ft)
Propulsion	5,470 shp (4,080 kW)
Speed	22 knots
Range	12,000 nmi (22,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Endurance	45 days
Complement	18 crew, 4 cadets, 7 officers
Aviation facilities	Helicopter landing pad

On 3 October 2007 the Sarah Baartman took custody of two men accused of murdering a fellow crew member of the South African icebreaker S. A. Agulhas.^[9][10]

The South African government has been criticized for chartering the Sarah Baartman to support offshore oil drilling.^[11]

The vessels carry limited equipment for enclosing and skimming oil spills, and fire-fighting water cannons.^[4]