Virginia Pilot News

A fishing vessel quickly sank after colliding with a pilot boat near Newport News, Va. on Tuesday.The U.S. Coast Guard said it was alerted at 7:50 a.m. that the Virginia Pilot Association pilot boat Swift and a 38-foot deadrise fishing vessel Miss Heather collided near the Newport News Small Boat Harbor.A pilot aboard the Swift rescued two fishermen from the Miss Heather and brought them aboard as the fishing vessel rapidly took on water and sank.A rescue crew aboard a 45-foot…

Somerset, Mass. shipbuilder Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation said it has won a contract to build a new high-speed, harbor pilot boat for the Virginia Pilot Association.Scheduled for delivery in mid-2023, the new vessel will be the pilots’ tenth launch built by Gladding-Hearn.The all-aluminum launch displaces about 2,000 pounds less than a similar sized offshore pilot boat. As a result, the boat accelerates faster and reaches a higher top speed, explained Peter Duclos, the shipyard’s co-president and director of sales.

The Virginia Pilot Association has taken delivery of a Chesapeake Class MK II launch from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, its ninth pilot boat built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard since 1983.The Virginia pilots’ new launch Richmond incorporates the performance benefits of Volvo Penta’s IPS three-pod system and Humphree interceptors. “The combination of the Volvo Penta IPS system and the Humphree interceptors produces lower sound levels and improved comfort and higher speed, while burning about 25 percent less fuel…

The Virginia Pilot Association has ordered a Chesapeake-class launch from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, its ninth pilot boat built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard since 1983.Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding said that its Somerset shipyard delivered 19 Chesapeake-class pilot boats  to 11 pilot associations throughout the United States.The Virginia pilots’ new boat incorporates the performance benefits of Volvo Penta’s IPS 3 pod system and Humphree interceptors. “The combination of the Volvo Penta IPS system and the Humphree interceptors gives the pilots faster acceleration and higher speeds and improved comfort, while burning about 25 percent less fuel…

Voices: Ron Huibers, President and CEO, Volvo Penta of the AmericasVolvo Penta has a reputation for pioneering innovations in marine propulsion. To learn more about what the company has on its drawing boards we talked with Ron Huibers, president and CEO of Volvo Penta of the Americas.Please give us a snapshot of your commercial marine business in North America?Our marine commercial business in the Americas has seen great growth, and it now represents a significant portion of our business, along with our leisure marine and industrial engine segments.

MarineLink was given the opportunity to ride aboard the Virginia Pilot Association's new pilot boat Hampton Roads.The newly-built Chesapeake class MKII launch from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding was delivered earlier this summer, equipped with a range of state-of-the-art technologies for improved safety, stability, reliability and efficiency.Chief among Hampton Roads' high-tech features is its Volvo Penta propulsion system. The vessel is powered by twin D13-700, EPA Tier 3-certified diesel engines…

The Virginia Pilot Association has taken delivery of a Chesapeake class MKII launch from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding. The MKII, a new generation of the shipyard’s Chesapeake class launch, is the Virginia pilots’ eighth Gladding-Hearn pilot boat.The Somerset, Mass. shipyard has delivered 20 Chesapeake class pilot boats throughout the U.S. since introducing the series in 2003. The latest improvements incorporate the performance benefits of Volvo Penta’s IPS 3 pod system, which provides for higher speed…

The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are searching for a missing crewman who fell overboard from an anchored bulk carrier near Cape Charles, Va., Tuesday.   The 33-year-old Chinese crewman reportedly went overboard early Tuesday morning while fastening a ladder on the starboard quarter of the 770-foot Hong Kong flagged cargo ship Lara Venture at the Cape Charles Anchorage.   He was not wearing a life jacket and last seen wearing orange coveralls and a dark blue jacket, the Coast Guard said.   Coast Guard helicopter crews are searching for the missing crewman along with the crews of Cutter Sea Horse from Base Portsmouth and a Virginia pilot vessel.   The Coast Guard has issued an urgent marine information broadcast.

The Virginia Pilot Boat Corporation has ordered a Chesapeake Class MKII launch from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding. The MKII, a new generation of the shipyard’s popular, smaller class of pilot boats, is the Virginia pilots’ eighth Gladding-Hearn pilot boat. Delivery is scheduled for 2018. Since the Chesapeake Class pilot boat was introduced by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard in 2003, 17 have been delivered to pilot associations throughout the U.S. The latest improvements incorporate the performance benefits of Volvo Penta’s IPS 3 pod system, which provides for higher speed, lower fuel consumption, and more comfort, explained Peter Duclos, the shipyard’s president. With a deep-V hull designed by C.

The U.S. Coast Guard is working with local response agencies and the Virginia and Maryland Pilots Tuesday after receiving a report of a collision between two ships in the Thimble Shoal Channel and are responding to several subsequent reports of ships dragging anchor in the lower Chesapeake Bay. The 79-foot rig vessel, Petite, and the 1065-foot container ship, MSC Charleston, reportedly collided due to weather in the main ship channel at approximately 7:30 p.m. There was no initial report of damage, pollution or injuries to either vessel, and both are safely anchored pending a Coast Guard investigation. Winds gusting to 70 mph at Cape Henry caused 12 ships anchored in the vicinity of Lynnhaven to drag anchor and caused the 751-foot bulk carrier…

The five-day saga off the coast of Somalia ended when Navy SEALs killed three of  the ship's masters' captors in a volley of rifle fire and a fourth pirate had previously surrendered to the Navy. Though the master of Maersk Alabama, Captain Richard Phillips, was hailed as a hero, 11 former crew members allege in lawsuits filed in Norfolk Circuit Court and in Mobile, Ala., that his employers, through Phillips' actions, put them in grave danger when the ship sailed within about 250 miles of the Somalian coast despite warnings to stay at least 600 miles out because of pirate activity, according to 'The Virginia Pilot'. Together…

According to a Feb. 24 report from The Virginian-Pilot, the state of Virginia may give Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard up to $50m in training grants over 10 years under a bill that cleared the General Assembly on Monday. (Source: The Virginia-Pilot)

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, The Duclos Corporation, is building a new class of pilot boats. The Virginia, Maryland, and Tampa pilots will be the first to operate the shipyard’s new Chesapeake class of 53-ft. launches. The first two boats will be delivered to the Virginia Pilot Boat Corporation and Association of Maryland Pilots next October. The Tampa Pilots’ boat and a sister ship for the Maryland pilots will be delivered in 2003. The Chesapeake class represents some subtle changes to the hull of the shipyard’s popular “St. Johns” class of pilot boats, said Winn Willard of C. Raymond Hunt Associates, the designer. The new all-aluminum boat measures approximately 52.5 ft., with a 17-ft. beam and a 4.8-ft. draft. It is six inches longer, and wider on deck than the St. Johns class.

The Coast Guard concluded two days of meetings today with local, state and federal officials as part of its ongoing review to help evaluate the suitability of the Chesapeake Bay for importing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) aboard tankships. The Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) Baltimore received a letter of intent to resume LNG import operations from the Williams Company at its Cove Point facility in Calvert County, Md., last October. If approved, LNG import operations will involve moving LNG in tankships on the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay to Cove Point where the cargo will be handled and off-loaded at the company’s waterside facility. Under federal regulation (33 CFR Part 127.009), the COTP is required to evaluate the suitability of the Bay for conducting LNG operations.

On Friday, Dec. 10 the Pilot Schooner Virginia will be christened on the downtown Norfolk waterfront. Many of the state's elected officials, local civic, business and political leaders, representatives of the maritime community, students from local schools and contributors to the project will be among the thousands on hand to witness the momentous event. Additionally, those attending the ceremony will hear from two of the nation's most distinguished sailors: Capt. Bill Pinkney, USN retired and Gary Jobson, known as the nation's pre-eminent sailing ambassador. Furthermore, Gov. Mark Warner and his wife, Lisa Collins-Warner, who has been asked to officially sponsor the vessel, have been invited.

Carnival Corp. filed suit against the Virginia Pilot Association this week, seeking to recoup about $350,000 in what it says are overcharges by the pilots, which steer ships between the Atlantic Ocean and docking points in the port of Hampton Roads, according to a report in The Virginia-Pilot. At issue is how to properly calculate the volumes of the Fun Ships that Carnival has sailed from Hampton Roads several times a year for the past decade. The Pilot Association uses those volumes - based on the ships' length, width and height - to assess the fees it charges for its services. When determining the heights of the cruise ships, the pilots have been measuring from the vessels' bottoms to one of the uppermost decks of the towering ships.

Gladding Hearn, Duclos Corporation, has delivered Maryland pilot boat to Virginia Pilot Boat Corporation. It is the Virginia Pilots’ sixth Gladding-Hearn launch, but the associations’ first of the new Chesapeake class. The new all-aluminum boat measures 52.5 ft., with a 17-ft. beam and a 4.8 ft. draft. It is powered by twin Detroit Diesel Series 60-D-DEC engines, each developing 600 bhp at 2100 rpm, with top speeds of 25 knots.