All American delivers unique patrol boat to Texas authorities
All American Marine of Bellingham, Wash., has delivered an 80-foot aluminum catamaran to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to conduct law enforcement within state and federal waters. Teknicraft designed the hydrofoil-assisted vessel.
Captain Murchison is equipped with two Cat C18 ACERT engines paired with HamiltonJet HM521 waterjets. The vessel also is equipped with a rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) with a 170-hp Volvo Penta engine and HamiltonJet propulsion.
“Captain Murchison is also the first vessel in North America to feature HamiltonJet’s innovative Advanced Vessel Control (AVX) system,” according to All American. “The new AVX features include both a stationkeeping and a JETanchor positioning system. Additional vessel features include a DJI Mavic drone integrated to the helm displays, as well as a FLIR M400 XR high-resolution thermal imaging video with tracking to assist with patrol duties in the Gulf of Mexico.”
The vessel, which will be used by Texas game wardens, will be a game-changer, according to Cody Jones, assistant commander for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
“Our key mission is to make sure the Texas maritime border is safe,” he said. “The fact of the matter is, there’s not an off-the-shelf vessel available that meets the daily needs of law enforcement, particularly for long-range vessels.”
Foss christens first of four new Tier 4 tugboats
Foss Maritime has christened the first in a series of new ASD-90 ship-assist tugboats. The ceremony for Jamie Ann took place Feb. 29 at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders in Langley, Wash.
The 100-by-40-foot vessel will be powered by twin MTU Series 4000 Tier 4 engines producing a combined 6,866 horsepower and paired with Rolls-Royce z-drives. Markey winches are installed fore and aft.
“We’re building these vessels to the most stringent emissions standards in the world,” Janic Trepanier, the Foss naval architect managing the project, said during the ceremony. “These were built to satisfy the requirements of the state of California — requirements we believe will soon be required of the rest of the country and the world.”
The tugboat is named for Jamie Ann Goldberg, daughter of Saltchuk co-founder Fred Goldberg. She christened the vessel by breaking a champagne bottle over the hull. Three sister tugs, Sarah Averick, Leisa Florence and Rachael Allen, are scheduled for completion within the next year.
Ribcraft wins $43 million Navy contract for RHIBs
The U.S. Navy has awarded a contract to Ribcraft worth up to $43 million over five years.
The Marblehead, Mass., company will build up to 48 rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) designed for ordnance disposal and mine countermeasures. Ribcraft will build two versions, one for shallow operations and another for deepwater operations.
One model will feature “an open aft deck for stowage and deployment of two combat rubber raiding craft, and the other featuring a launch, recover and handling system for deployment and retrieval of an unmanned underwater vehicle,” according to a company news release.
Propulsion on the 39-foot vessels will come from two Cummins QSB6.7 engines each generating 473 horsepower. Each engine is paired with two HamiltonJet 292 waterjets. The vessels will be transportable by land, air and sea, and will be carried aboard naval ships.
Lake Assault wins Navy contract for up to 119 patrol boats
The U.S. Navy has approved a contract with Lake Assault Boats to build up to 119 force protection-medium (FP-M) patrol boats over five years. The contract is worth up to $56 million.
The 33-by-10-foot, aluminum V-hull vessels will be powered by twin 225-hp outboard engines and equipped with foam polyurethane collar wraps. They will be used for anti-terrorism and patrols protecting Navy installations, escorts and other assets around the world.
“We are honored to be chosen by the U.S. Navy to supply it with these versatile and powerful FP-M patrol craft,” said Chad DuMars, Lake Assault vice president of operations. “Our FP-M vessels will be engineered and built to the same high manufacturing and quality control standards as our patrol and fire boats currently in service throughout North America.”
Lake Assault Boats is based in Superior, Wis. The first deliveries will occur in late 2020.
Vane Brothers takes delivery of second pusher tugboat
Chesapeake Shipbuilding has delivered the second of four 3,000-hp pusher tugboats to Vane Brothers.
The vessel, Annapolis, is a sister tug to Salisbury delivered in 2019. The 94-by-34-foot series meets Coast Guard Subchapter M standards. Longtime Vane port Capt. Jim Demske worked with Chesapeake’s naval architect John Womack on the design, which is optimized for transit on inland waterways. Its working draft is just 8.5 feet.
Propulsion aboard the new vessel comes from twin Caterpillar 3512 Tier 3 engines generating 1,500 horsepower each, turning conventional shafts and props. The wheelhouse is outfitted with Simrad and Furuno electronics and Rose Point electronic charting.
Eight independent heating and cooling systems provide crew comfort and assist with firefighting. The vessel is named for Maryland’s capital city, continuing a trend at Baltimore-based Vane of naming tugs for places within the state and Chesapeake Bay.
