Carl Wegener News

Metal Shark won a contract to build a new vehicle ferry for Fire Island Ferries, a vessel designed by Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG).Construction of the new Fire Island Maid recently commenced at Metal Shark’s Bayou La Batre, Alabama shipyard, and the 70 x 23-ft.vessel features a steel hull and aluminum superstructure. With its hydraulically operated bow ramp and reinforced decks designed to support fully loaded concrete trucks and general cargo, the new ferry will provide transport between Bay Shore…

With the delivery of Time Traveler, shipbuilder Metal Shark has completed its four-year run of vessel production for NYC Ferry, Operated by Hornblower, handing over the final new vessel to join the fleet.The newbuild is the 12th 85-foot, 150-passenger, USCG Subchapter “T” NYC Ferry passenger vessel built at Metal Shark’s Franklin, La. shipyard since deliveries to NYC Ferry began in April 2017. In that timeframe Metal Shark’s Franklin yard also produced 10 97-foot, 350-passenger…

Shipbuilder Metal Shark said it is building a welded aluminum 55’ x 17’ pilot boat for the Pascagoula Bar Pilots Association in Mississippi, scheduled for delivery later this year.Designed in-house, the new 55 Defiant Pilot being built for Pascagoula Pilots incorporates the“faceted hull” design initially developed by Metal Shark for the U.S. Navy 40 PB program, and features an enhanced version of Metal Shark’s “pillarless glass” in a two-tiered, reverse-raked arrangement.The builder…

Shipbuilder Metal Shark has delivered two new pilot boats to New Orleans-based operator Belle Chasse Marine Transportation, LLC (BCMT).Designed in-house by Metal Shark and built at the company’s Jeanerette, La. production facility, Jet 1 and Jet 2 are 45-foot welded aluminum Defiant-class monohull pilothouse vessels featuring an extensively proven hull design. The vessels feature a unique deck arrangement designed for pilots and customized to meet BCMT’s specific requirements.Both vessels were recently delivered and are now operating on the Mississippi River…

Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark said it has delivered two custom welded aluminum vessels to the Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA).The new vessels, a 45-foot pilot boat and a 32-foot port security vessel, were designed by Metal Shark and built at the company’s Jeanerette, La. production facility. Both vessels were recently delivered to St. Thomas and transferred to VIPA and are now operating from the Edward Wilmoth Blyden IV Marine Facility on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront where they serve the island of St. Thomas and nearby St.

At the same time, Metal Shark also announces reduced lead times for newbuild vessels. Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has partnered with design firm Incat Crowther to develop an entirely new line of passenger vessels. At last week’s Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) Maritrends Conference in Savannah, Georgia, Metal Shark introduced its new “Endurance PV-X” passenger vessel lineup, with 26-meter (150-passenger) and 32-meter (350-passenger) models now available and additional offerings to follow. The welded-aluminum, high-speed, low-wake, catamaran Endurance PV-X models are touted by Metal Shark as “next-generation passenger vessels” and feature thoroughly proven Incat Crowther hull designs well-regarded among passenger vessel operators for their efficiency and performance.

Metal Shark said it has its sights locked on the pilot boat market, with two new vessels from its range of custom-configurable pilot boat offering currently under construction. The Louisiana-based shipbuilder is building a 45-foot Defiant Pilot Boat for the Virgin Islands Port Authority at its Jeanerette, La. production facility. At its shipyard in nearby Franklin, La., Metal Shark is building a 64-foot Defiant Pilot Boat for the Brazos Pilots Association of Freeport, Texas. Both vessels will be delivered in 2018.

The first two passenger vessels built by Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark for Entertainment Cruises’ Potomac Riverboat Company division have been delivered to Washington, D.C. and are now in service. The  two 88’, 149-passenger high speed aluminum catamaran vessels “Potomac Taxi I” and “Potomac Taxi II” departed Metal Shark’s Franklin, Louisiana shipyard in mid-September, traveled the Gulf of Mexico coastline and crossed Florida via Lake Okeechobee before proceeding northward up the Atlantic coast to Washington, D.C. Powered by twin Scania DI13 081M engines delivering 500 HP at 1800 RPM, the USCG Subchapter T vessels were designed by BMT Designers and Planners and BMT Nigel Gee, and feature an environmentally friendly low wake / low wash hull design.

The first two passenger vessels built by Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark for New York's new NYC Ferry have been completed and are now making their way to New York. Late last week at Metal Shark's Franklin, Louisiana shipyard, the Incat Crowther-designed, 149-passenger, USCG Subchapter T passenger ferries were handed off to crews from HNY Ferry Fleet LLC (a Hornblower company), operator of the new passenger vessel service. Both of the Metal Shark-built ferries are currently running in tandem, making their way northward in the Atlantic after running the Gulf of Mexico coastline and rounding Key West. The boats are expected to arrive in New York within the next few days.

Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark said it has been awarded two separate contracts to produce passenger vessels for the Potomac Riverboat Company division of Entertainment Cruises, and for the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority. For the Potomac Riverboat Company, Metal Shark will produce four 88’, high speed/low wake, 149-passenger aluminum catamarans. The new passenger vessels will provide commuters in the Washington DC metro region with service between Old Town Alexandria, Virginia; National Harbor, Maryland; and Georgetown and The Wharf in Washington DC.

Innovative boats, unusual collaboration: Hornblower, Horizon, Incat Crowther and Metal Shark team up on one of the most significant newbuilding projects of the year. When New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier this year announced the selection of Hornblower to operate as many as 20 ferries to connect a similar number of New York City neighborhoods, the magnitude of the award immediately outweighed the details of the contract. The vessels, intended to eventually form the backbone of a modern, comfortable and efficient urban ferry fleet, will also be New York City’s first city-wide ferry system in over 100 years. Now on track to launch in 2017, the news service is predicated on the on-time delivery of high tech, newbuild hulls now being constructed on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has announced an expansion project now underway at its waterfront shipbuilding complex in Franklin, La. To accommodate increased production needs, Metal Shark is erecting a fully-enclosed 200’ x 80’ large vessel assembly building to enable weather-independent construction of vessels up to 180’ in length. In addition, a new standalone office building will provide over 4,000 square foot of space for the yard’s executive, engineering, project management and administrative personnel.

Metal Shark was selected by HNY Ferry Fleet, LLC (a Hornblower company), operator of New York City’s Citywide Ferry Service, to build 26-m149-passenger aluminum high-speed ferries. Metal Shark will produce a series of ferries at its Franklin, Louisiana shipyard, a  25-acre waterfront facility which recently received a Small Shipyard Grant from the United States Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) to expand its facilities and shipbuilding capabilities.

Vessel manufacturer Metal Shark has reached an agreement with Damen Shipyards to market Damen designs, which the company will construct at its Franklin, Louisiana shipyard. “We are proud to offer globally proven Damen designs as we expand our footprint in new markets,” said Metal Shark president Chris Allard. The Damen announcement caps off a busy year for Metal Shark, which announced the acquisition of its new Franklin shipyard in January. In April, Metal Shark hired marine industry veteran Carl Wegener, previously of Austal USA and Kvichak Marine, as its director of commercial sales.

Louisiana-based boat manufacturer Metal Shark announced it has commenced operations at its new shipyard, where the first of its recently announced Endurance-class catamarans is now in production. In January, Metal Shark acquired a 25-acre waterfront tract situated on the Charenton Bypass Canal in Franklin, Louisiana, and announced plans to develop the new property into a facility to support its planned aluminum and steel shipbuilding efforts for vessels up to 250’ in length. Six months later, the new facility is operational and production is underway.

Louisiana-based boat manufacturer Metal Shark Aluminum Boats has hired Carl Wegener as its Director of Commercial Sales, the company announced today. Wegener brings a diversified background in engineering, strategic planning, and business development, with over 25 years of experience in the boat and shipbuilding industry. At Metal Shark, he will utilize this background and his extensive list of industry contacts to develop the company’s relationships with operators in the passenger ferry, fast crew, utility, entertainment and pilot boat markets.

To serve growing worldwide demand for gyro stabilization, Seakeeper has established its new Professional Division, which will formally launch at the International WorkBoat Show. With it, Seakeeper offers a dedicated team and focused product offerings for commercial, military, workboat, offshore, research and patrol markets. Driving Seakeeper's initiatives for the Professional Division are new team members Carl Wegener, Commercial Sales Director – Americas and Sean Hatherley, International Commercial Sales Director – APAC & EMEA.

Kvichak Marine Industries, Inc. announces the opening of its East Coast Support Office with the appointment of Carl F. Wegener as Regional Manager. Wegener was formally the Sales & Marketing Manager at Austal USA in Mobile, AL. Keith Whittemore of Kvichak comments, “With the success of Kvichak’s business over the last few years in the Gulf, Great Lakes and Eastern Seaboard, it only makes sense to have a support office in the East to represent and support our projects and Carl Wegener was the perfect match for this expansion.”