Metal Shark Wins Miami-Dade Fire Boat Contract
Shipbuilder Metal Shark has been selected to build the next generation of fire boats for the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department.Miami-Dade has selected the Metal Shark “50 Defiant X” fireboat, a welded aluminum monohull vessel featuring a proven hull form and a specialized arrangement optimized for firefighting. The new fire boats are being built at Metal Shark’s Jeanerette, Louisiana production facility and are intended to replace older fire boats currently operated by the Department.The 50’ x 15’ vessels will be powered by twin inboard diesel engines mated to water jet propulsion units…
Mission Specific Boat(s)…With a Twist
Today’s economy is tough enough for the commercial sector. For federal, state and municipal authorities – and in an atmosphere of shrinking tax revenues and sequestration – the task of securing mission-appropriate assets can be even tougher. At this year’s National Sheriff’s Association Conference (of all places), held this June in Charlotte, N.C, at least two boatbuilders showed that there is an economical way to get the job done. Increasingly, the need for multi-missioned boats to create both economy of scale and the ability to do more with fewer assets is becoming the rule…
Thailand Orders 75 Rescue ONE Boats
Rescue ONE® a provider of multi-use, interoperable boats for fire, rescue and law enforcement wins the hefty Thai contract. In late 2011, Thailand was severely impacted by flooding, accounting for over 800 deaths and affecting 13.6 million people. These floods prompted the government to seek new solutions for dealing with flood rescue and evacuation. The order will be shipped from Alabama-based Rescue ONE in phases over the next 6 months, set for an in-service date of late 2013.
Secretary Gates Addresses Piracy
The U.S. military's rescue of a kidnapped American ship captain was textbook, but the issue of piracy is likely to worsen in the absence of a systemic solution, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said April 13. Off the Somali coast yesterday, U.S. special operations snipers on the USS Bainbridge shot and killed three pirates who had held hostage the captain of the Maersk-Alabama cargo ship on a lifeboat for five days. Military officials said Capt. Richard Phillips' life was in imminent danger at the time of his rescue. "It was textbook," Gates said of the operation. "They were patient. Gates, speaking at the Marine Corps War College here…
The Fan(atic)
He loved Maritime Reporter so much that he failed a class project for it. Yes, it's true that when he was an eighth grader in Boston, Brian Fournier sadly realized that he received an "F" on a book report that he had written on MR for his English class. Fournier didn't receive his failing grade for his lack of knowledge on the subject or for "lying his way through the assignment" as his teacher thought. He did everything he was supposed to do - he read the material thoroughly sometimes six or seven times over, he had the basis of the industry down pat and he chose something that he was interested in. It was only until he realized that his "book" did not suit the task at hand.
