Law Enforcement Missions News

Not every vessel in the U.S. Navy is built for major combat operations on the high seas. There are large numbers of boats and service craft that provide essential services to the sea services, the nation and its partners.The U.S. Navy procures about 100 small boats per year. Some of these boats are based on commercial designs, procured to a Navy developed specification that tailors the requirements to the end user needs. They are procured and managed by two Naval Sea Systems Command program offices—PMS 300 and PMS 325.Compared to warships and auxiliaries…

Shipbuilder Metal Shark reports it has seen increased business from law enforcement agencies, with 20 new law enforcement customers recently added and more than 35 welded aluminum law enforcement vessels either recently delivered or currently in production.Among its new builds, Metal Shark is producing five custom 23-foot Relentless center console patrol boats for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, while continuing to deliver 26-foot and 28-foot Relentless center console…

A new monohull dive compliance vessel Salish Scout was recently accepted by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) after successful launch and sea trials in Port Angeles Harbor.In a competitive solicitation process last year, DNR selected Armstrong Marine’s proposal to design and build multiple vessels for their Marine Law Enforcement program. Salish Scout is a sister ship to the vessel Sentry, completed earlier this summer.Salish Scout is customized for efficient geoduck fishery management along with other marine law enforcement operations. A 4’ dive platform, tank racks, aft deck shower, and custom dive ladder serve DNR divers monitoring geoduck stock and habitat.“As the manager of 2.6 million acres of aquatic lands…

Silver Ships, Inc. has announced its collaboration with industry vendors in the creation of an aluminum demonstration yacht tender. The 36-foot demo boat is designed and manufactured to serve the purpose of supporting a large yacht with comfortable seating for up to 10 passengers.The vessel is an Ambar series Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB) equipped with an extended, enclosed center console with forward cuddy (with boat head). It is outfitted to satisfy the need for versatility in both recreational and commercial use…

The Trump administration and key Asian allies are preparing to expand interceptions of ships suspected of violating sanctions on North Korea, a plan that could include deploying U.S. Coast Guard forces to stop and search vessels in Asia-Pacific waters, senior U.S. officials said. Washington has been talking to regional partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore, about coordinating a stepped-up crackdown that would go further than ever before in an attempt to squeeze Pyongyang’s use of seagoing trade to feed its nuclear missile program, several officials told Reuters.

Six new military patrol boats built by Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark have been delivered to the Vietnam Coast Guard. The welded-aluminum Metal Shark 45-foot Defiant pilothouse patrol vessels were provided to Vietnam by the United States in a move that underscores the increased security cooperation between the two nations. The vessels were officially handed over by U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius to the Vietnam Coast Guard on Monday in the province of Quang Nam. The new patrol boats will be employed by the Vietnam Coast Guard on law enforcement missions focused on smuggling…

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that they will honor the men and women who serve on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sycamorefor outstanding service to the 17th District and our nation. The Alaska Awards Dinner will be held at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorageon Wednesday, August 10, 2016. Admiral Paul F. Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard will deliver keynote remarks and RADM Michael McAllister, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District will also address attendees. Alaska's Senator Lisa Murkoswki and Congressman Donald Young will also be in attendance. Special guest will be the renowned Iditarod Musher, AliyZirkle.

atchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach operations center, received a report Thursday night from the 45-foot motor lifeboat crew at Coast Guard Station Channel Islands that four of the members were struck twice with a laser while transiting near the Channel Islands Harbor entrance. Crewmembers reported that the laser came from shore and once they energized their blue law-enforcement light, the laser desisted. After a medical evaluation, there were no reported injuries associated with the incident. The Coast Guard said that pointing handheld lasers at Coast Guard vessels and aircrews is dangerous and illegal. Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime and a felony offense under Title 18, United States Code, Section 39A.

Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, the first national security cutter homeported on the East Coast, entered into active service today at Union Pier Terminal in downtown Charleston. The commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard’s largest and newest 418-foot cutter was presided by Vice Adm. William “Dean” Lee, Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander. Commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, delivered the keynote address. “Together with my shipmates, we’re beginning the most important milestones in the life of a cutter,” said Capt. Doug Fears, Hamilton’s commanding officer and the most senior member of the crew. While being “new” to the Coast Guard is the highlight of the ceremony, Cutter Hamilton’s most enthusiastic crewmembers are just as new to the Coast Guard.

In a dangerous world, even the largest ship in the world depends on the smallest maritime security and special mission platform. And when it comes to small boat security operations, innovation is the name of the game. With 90% of world trade transported by sea then passing through ports and waterways, no amount of technology will replace the requirement for multiple small fast craft and skilled operators. Finding new ways to share knowledge and best practice has never been more important in the maritime world.

Former USCG Admiral Thad Allen is a transformational leader in the history of the service, a rock through thick and thin. Today he talks about resource allocation, risk management and homeland security. As part of Booz Allen Hamilton’s Justice and Homeland Security business group, Executive Vice President and former U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen leads the development of thought leadership and client engagements regarding the future direction of law enforcement and homeland security. The Coast Guard is under pressure to either pare its mission mix or downscale what it does.

The numerous cutters and craft of the U.S. Coast Guard —from the sail training ship Eagle to the large oceangoing patrol ships; from polar icebrakers to small utility boats — form a formidable fleet to meet the many challenging assignments undertaken by the service. In 2014 the Coast Guard continues its recapitalization program with its National Security Cutter (NSC), Fast Response Cutter (FPC) and Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC). The service plans to procure 91 cutters (8 NSCs, 25 OPCs and 58 FRCs) to replace are 90 aging cutters and patrol boats. According to a Feb.

The U.S. Navy’s newest amphibious transport dock ship and U.S. Coast Guard medium range recovery helicopters trained together in several ship and helicopter exercises Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014, while transiting the Gulf of Mexico. During the training, two Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters based out of Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile in Mobile, Ala., flew parts and supplies to the pre-commissioning unit USS Somerset, conducted more than 60 day and night-vision goggle deck landings…

The Coast Guard is investigating an allision that occurred between an Alaska Marine Lines barge and the Coast Guard Cutter Sycamore in Cordova, Sunday. The Sycamore, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender, was at its moorings when the allision occurred and suffered damage to its bow. There have been no reports of injuries or pollution at this time. The Sycamore, homeported in Cordova, conducts aids to navigation, search and rescue and law enforcement missions throughout Alaska. uscgnews.com

Vice President Joe Biden welcomed the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Class of 2013 as the Coast Guard’s newest officers, saluting their service and emphasizing the important role they play in meeting the nation’s many maritime needs. “I believe you graduate into a world where the maritime domain is as important as ever to our national security, and the Coast Guard’s global mission is more important than it has ever been,” Biden said. As the 227 cadets in the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Class of 2013 recited the oath of office…

Most people who encounter the Coast Guard near shore will get a good look at a Response Boat-Small (RB-S). With more than 400 boats in operation, the RB-S is the largest vessel class in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The boats are in constant use, from life-saving to law enforcement and homeland security missions. But the redoubtable RB-S is approaching the end of its service life and the the Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate has launched an ambitious project to replace this important asset. The RB-S II will be one of the largest boat buys of its kind.

US Coast Guard Cutter Juniper deploys to far Arctic region for joint operations. The Newport, R.I., based Coast Guard Cutter Juniper is deploying to the Arctic to conduct maritime safety and security exchanges with the Canadian navy and coast guard along with elements of the Danish navy. During the deployment, Juniper will participate in various elements of Operation Nanook. The operation is in the northernmost region of the high Arctic in the vicinity of Baffin Island and areas off Greenland’s west coast, approximately 2,300 miles northeast of Juniper’s homeport.

Louisiana Manufacturer will Replace Coast Guard's Small Response Boat Fleet. Metal Shark Boats has been awarded a contract to replace the U.S. Coast Guard's fleet of Response Boat - Small (RB-S) vessels. Up to 470 boats will be delivered across the Coast Guard fleet, with an additional 20 boats will be available to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with another ten slated for purchase by the U.S. Navy. The $192 million contract is one of the largest boat buys of its kind for the Coast Guard, and provides a significant economic boost to the state of Louisiana.

The Coast Guard on June 7 awarded four firm fixed-price production contracts to deliver the first test boats for the seven-meter Cutter Boat Over-The-Horizon-IV (CB-OTH-IV) project. The contracts were awarded to MetalCraft Marine U.S. (Clayton, NY), SAFE Boats International (Port Orchard, Wash.), Silver Ships, Inc. (Theodore, Ala.) and William E. Munson Company (Burlington, Wash). Each awardee will deliver one test boat to the Coast Guard for competitive evaluation beginning fall 2011. At the conclusion of the competition the Coast Guard will select one of the four test boats for additional production and begin operational test and evaluation activities.

On February 4, 2011, the U.S. Coast Guard awarded two fixed price Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts to begin replacement of the current Response Boat-Small (RB-S) fleet, which is nearing the end of its ten-year service life. The contracts were awarded to Metal Shark Aluminum Boats of Jeanerette, La., and SAFE Boats International of Port Orchard, Wash. Under the terms of the contract, each builder will produce a minimum of one boat, based on a proven hull design, to be delivered in June of this year. The Coast Guard will test and validate each boat this summer.

On August 19, the U.S. Coast Guard officially accepted the installation of the Rescue 21 search-and-rescue system that will provide enhanced life-saving communications capabilities to the entire Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, reaching as far as Washington, D.C. Rescue 21 enables the Coast Guard to quickly respond to and assist distressed mariners, saving lives and property. It also provides a wireless communications network that the Coast Guard can use to communicate with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and other emergency first responders.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Defense’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD) recently conducted a demonstration of a developmental non-lethal weapon designed to stop suspicious small boats. The program, referred to as Boat Trap, involves dropping an entangling net from a helicopter into the path of a boat. The net entangles in the boat’s propeller, forcing the vessel to a safe stop. According to Darrel Webb, Maritime Project Engineer at the JNLWD, potential applications of the Boat Trap device include port security…

The Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay, a not for profit trade association representing the interests of maritime-related businesses in the tri-state region, announced the completion of a major project to convert its community based port information software to a new Internet-based platform. Known as Maritime On-Line (MOL), the system includes a collection of applications to assist maritime and law enforcement personnel with the day-to-day operations of vessel, cargo, and crew processing through U.S. seaports. The Maritime Exchange has been in the business of tracking vessel movements on the Delaware River since it was formed in 1872.