ASSOCIATED BRANCH PILOTS

Art Anderson Granted Stolkraft Contract

Art Anderson Associates has been awarded a contract to design all-aluminum 52 ft. (15.8 m) pilot boat for Delta Launch Services of Pilottown, La. Besides ferrying pilots to and from ships, the vessel will be U.S. Coast Guard certified as a passenger vessel under subchapter T. It will be powered by twin Detroit Diesel 8V2000 engines, rated at 645-hp each via propellers. The pilot vessel, which is the first of its kind in the U.S., is modeled after the high-tech Stolkraft patented hull form. Subsequent to spending nearly two years scrutinizing this hull form by the Associated Branch Pilots of Pilottown, Stolkraft's attributes were confirmed when they traveled to Australia for a test ride on a similar boat operated by the Fremantle Pilots. Extensive tank testing in the Netherlands and the U.S. noted that the hull provides propulsive efficiency, excellent stability and exceptional maneuvering characteristics.

Bar Pilot Overboard, Missing

The U.S. Coast Guard used helicopters to search for a bar pilot who went overboard in rough weather near the mouth of the Columbia River. The bar pilot, who has not been identified, fell into the Pacific Monday night while trying to transfer from an outgoing freighter he had guided across the Columbia River Bar to a vessel that takes bar pilots back to their station, the Coast Guard said. Two 47-foot rescue boats had to return to Cape Disappointment because strong winds and rough seas made

Gladding-Hearn Delivers New Pilot Boat

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has delivered a new “Chesapeake” class pilot boat to the Delaware pilots. The shipyard’s new class of pilot boats has also been built for the Virginia, Maryland, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Portland, Maine pilots. According to Winn Willard at C. Raymond Hunt Associates, the designer, the increasing popularity of the Chesapeake class results from some subtle changes to the firm’s typical pilot boat design

ShipNet Expands Local Presence

ShipNet is embarking on an aggressive expansion strategy to establish and develop regional branch offices worldwide. Branch offices are subsidiaries of one of the three ShipNet companies (ShipNet AS, ShipNet USA, ShipNet Asia). The intention is to enable higher levels of proactive Account Management, Customer Support and the provision of local Consultancy Services. The first two of these offices will be established in Athens and London

Gladding-Hearn Delivers Cape Fear Pilot Boat

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, The Duclos Corporation, has delivered a new pilot boat, Cape Fear Pilot II, to the Wilmington-Cape Fear Pilots Association. The new launch, which shuttles pilots nine miles from Southport, N.C. to ships entering the Cape Fear River en route to the port of Wilmington, works alongside another pilot boat built by the Somerset, Mass. yard in 1974. Measuring 52 ft. (15.8 m), the all-aluminum boat was designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates of Boston and Gladding Hearn

Sea Floor Surveys Support Texas Maritime Trade

This winter, NOAA will begin a year-long survey of the sea floor in the Port of Houston and Galveston Bay navigational areas, to aid efforts to bring more trade, more cargo, more jobs, and more economic benefits to the Houston area. The navigation survey team arrived in Galveston this week, to begin pre-survey preparations with mariners and federal partners. "With bigger ships, crowded sea lanes, and more uses of ocean areas

Imtech Marine Group Service Office in Florida

Imtech Schiffbau-/Dockbau-technik, headquartered in Hamburg/Germany, will open a new Service Branch Office in May 2010. The branch will offer the full range of mechanical Imtech services, e.g. HVAC conversions, maintenance, and spare parts. Refurbishments for chillers and compressors will be done in Imtech’s own workshop. The office will be located in the Ft. Lauderdale branch of Imtech Marine Group’s subsidiary Radio Holland USA (2325 South Federal Highway, FL-33316 Ft

Mate Hit by Buoy – MAIB Investigation

UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) issues report of accident where the mate of mooring vessel 'Cameron' was seriously injured The chief officer of the mooring vessel was seriously injured when he was crushed against a ‘mushroom’ air vent by a 6 tonne (t) navigation buoy which was being re-positioned on the working deck using the vessel’s crane. He suffered pelvic injuries and was hospitalized for almost a month.

Harbor Branch Gets $2m Navy Grant

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute received a $2m grant from the U.S. Navy to develop a robotic laser system to identify mines and other threats in ports and coastal waters. The system to be developed at Harbor Branch would involve a group of underwater robots scanning the water with laser beams and sending information to shore or to a ship above. According to project leader Fraser Dalgleish, an assistant research professor at Harbor Branch

Derecktor Delivers Fisheries Research Vessel

The State of Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife took delivery of “First State” to replace their current Fisheries Research Vessel, a hundred-year -old converted wooden sailboat. The new 62 ft. (19 m), designed by Nigel Gee & Associates, has been built by Derecktor in aluminum with a hard chine hull. The resiliently mounted pilot house provides exceptionally low noise levels. Behind the house, the ample aft deck has been fitted with swinging A-Frame and cargo boom, net reel, trawl winches,