Virginia Pilot Association 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…

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.