Seakeeper News

Breaux’s Bay Craft delivered its latest aluminum pilot vessel for the Houston Pilots. The first of two, M/V San Jacinto, is the newest addition to the fleet of high-performance pilot boats,designed for  precision, built for strength, and finished with a striking red, white, and blue color scheme that reflects the Gulf Coast heritage of the Houston Pilots.Measuring 80 x 21 feet wide, the San Jacinto is built with a new-generation inverted deep-V bottom hull, exceeds the rigorous operational demands of one of the busiest pilotage services in the U.S.

Seakeeper, Inc., a leader in marine motion control, is offering Seakeeper and Seakeeper Ride sizing and software specific to attending to the hull styles of catamarans. While catamarans offer some advantages, these boats are still susceptible to wave action and their unique hull designs can present several trade-offs such as flatter turns, increased yaw or bow steering, and porpoising motions at high speeds. Seakeeper Ride utilizes proprietary variable gain algorithms to optimize…

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation has delivered a repowered pilot boat, after 10 years of continuous service for the port of Charleston, to the Charleston Branch Pilots. The all-aluminum vessel was also outfitted with a Seakeeper 40 gyro stabilizer.The 65’ Fort Ripley was designed by Ray Hunt Design and Gladding-Hearn and built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard in 2014. With a top speed of 28 knots, it was the first commercial vessel in the United States powered by Volvo Penta IPS drives with twin forward-facing…

Charleston Branch Pilots have returned a pilot boat to Gladding-Hearn after 10 years of continuous service for the port of Charlestown. The all-aluminum vessel will be repowered and refitted with a new Seakeeper 40 gyro stabilizer.The 65’ Fort Ripley was designed by Ray Hunt Design and Gladding-Hearn and built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard in 2014. With a top speed of 28 knots, it was the first commercial vessel in the United States powered by Volvo Penta IPS drives with twin forward-facing…

Seakeeper’s motion control technology can improve the performance of even the most impressive of workboats. Partnering with Seakeeper and Gladding-Hearn, the Charleston Pilots did just that, once again setting the bar for excellence.On a beautiful Autumn afternoon in Charleston, SC, way back in 2014, MarineNews had the good fortune to attend the christening on the nation’s first dual purpose, rapid response vessel and pilot launch. As the first vessel to be designed for offshore salvage and firefighting requirements…

Seakeeper, a developer of marine motion control systems, has equipped Galveston-Texas City Pilots’ Gladding-Hearn 73 vessel with its Seakeeper 35 system, ensuring its safe and stable operations.Galveston-Texas City Pilots have been guiding vessels safely to their berths or out to sea since the late 1800s, exercising independent judgment to protect the property, lives, environment and the economic well-being of the Ports of Galveston County.With the latest integration of Seakeeper 35 motion control system aboard the Gladding-Hearn 73 vessel…

Seakeeper, a developer of marine motion control systems, has launched a new training facility in San Salvatore, Italy. This European location will enhance training access for partners outside North America, helping to build a global network of skilled technicians to support Seakeeper’s expanding customer base.“Our dedication to continuous improvement goes beyond our products; it’s also about the people who support them,” said Seakeeper president and CEO Andrew Semprevivo. “Our new training facility in Italy is part of our commitment to ensuring our partners are the best in the industry.

Advances in autonomous vessels – from R&D to regulatory policies to actual work – are moving rapidly. AVs include a range of vessel types and missions, from freight to law enforcement to research to defense. There are many acronyms. Some examples –AV stands for autonomous vessel.AUV is autonomous underwater vessel.MASS stands for “maritime autonomous surface ship.”NOMARS is a U.S. Department of Defense term for “no manning required ship.”Different…but maybe not so differentSurface…

Maaskade Group's Sima Charters has christened its latest newbuild crew tender vessel in the Netherlands.The high-speed aluminum monohull vessel, SC Ruby, was built by Neptune Marine.The 23-meter-long vessel is equipped with triple Volvo Penta IPS 1050 propulsion and features a Seakeeper gyrostabilization system for increased workability.

Seakeeper has launched two new gyrostabilizer models the Seakeeper 10.5 and the Seakeeper 14, designed for vessels ranging from 50 feet to 68 feet long.The Seakeeper 10.5, engineered for boats 50-62 feet, evolved from its two predecessors, the Seakeeper 9 and the inaugural M7000 and offers 17% more angular momentum in 23% less volume.The Seakeeper 14, suited for boats 55-68 feet, bridges a gap in the current lineup between the Seakeeper 9 and the Seakeeper 18. The new model is is 43% smaller and 33% lighter than the Seakeeper 18.

Boatbuilder SAFE Boats International on Monday introduced Merlin, a new 23-meter semi-displacement monohull autonomous hydrographic survey vessel design developed in collaboration with Mythos AI, Echo81, and World Marine Design.SAFE Boats has exclusive rights to build the design at its Tacoma, Wash. large-craft production facility. Merlin will be a Jones Act-compliant all-aluminum hull powered by a twin Volvo Penta D13 Hybrid-ready System with IPS. For a zero-emission power package, the Merlin can accommodate forward-thinking hydrogen technology supplied by Zero Emission Industries (ZEI).

The Galveston-Texas City Pilots has taken delivery of its fourth pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. The new launch is equipped with a Seakeeper 30HD stabilizing gyro, which, according to shipyard officials, will reduce up to 80% the vessel’s roll.With a length overall of 73.2’, beam of 23.3’ and draft of 5.9’, the all-aluminum, high-speed pilot boat features the Ray Hunt Design deep-V hull. It is powered by three Volvo Penta D13, EPA Tier 3 marine diesel engines, each delivering 800 Bhp at 2,300 rpm, and integral to the engines’ triple IPS-Pod 1050 system.

Underwater foul-release coatings company Propspeed announced it has hired Chris Myers as Vice President of Sales Americas. In his new position, Myers is tasked with directing Propspeed’s sales efforts across the Americas, as well as growing and supporting Propspeed’s network of partner boat yards, marinas, applicators and distributors.A marine industry insider for nearly two decades, Myers he has been professionally involved in all aspects of the field, including stints with boat and product manufacturers, holding positions predominantly in sales and finance.

Stuart, Florida-based Ocean5 appointed Roger Kovalski as Vice President of Engineering. He was previously Senior Project Engineer & Yacht Designer, and began his career with OCEAN5 in early 2012.Kovalski has been in the engineering and design profession for over 25 years, coming to the U.S/ from his native home in Brazil in 2001. He is fully conversant with the engineering needs of any project including the design of aluminum, steel or fiberglass boats and is proficient in all technical applications…

Sea Change - America’s first hydrogen powered ferrySWITCH Maritime’s new 70-foot passenger ferry Sea Change is navigating uncharted waters as the United States’ first zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric-drive ferry.The pioneering aluminum newbuild, constructed by Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), has been completed and was launched this summer, though permitting of hydrogen fuel systems for maritime vessels is still being worked out with the U.S. Coast Guard.“Legislation and laws for passenger safety did not exist yet for this type of vessel.

The Galveston-Texas City Pilots have ordered a fourth launch from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Delivery is scheduled for late 2022.With a length overall of 73.2’, beam of 23.3’ and draft of 5.9’, the all-aluminum, high-speed pilot boat features the Ray Hunt Design deep-V hull. It will be powered by three Volvo Penta D13, EPA Tier 3 marine diesel engines, each delivering 800 Bhp at 2,300 rpm, and integral to the engines’ triple IPS-Pod 1050 system. Top speed will be over 30 knots.

Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and remote-helm control systems, has promoted Phil Bourque to the role of business development and sales director, U.S. Government, effective immediately.In his new position, Bourque will primarily focus on advancing the company’s government contracts and related special projects. Bourque has relocated to the Norfolk, Va. area for the role, a move that enables Sea Machines to establish a new company foothold closer to key…

Marine shock mitigation technology provider Allsalt Maritime Corporation announced Thursday it has opened new sales and support offices in the U.S. and Singapore in response to market growth in the commercial and recreational boating industries.Victoria, B.C.-based Allsalt Maritime, owner of the Shoxs and Kinetix brands, said its new U.S. office is located in Edgewater, Fla., and will be led by newly appointed brand development and U.S. managing director Lisa Wood, a marketing and business development professional with more than 20 years of experience managing brands such as Stanley…

Shipbuilder Metal Shark reports it has delivered a new research tender to OceanX, a New York-based nonprofit ocean exploration initiative and media organization.The custom 38-foot Defiant-class welded aluminum monohull pilothouse vessel will be carried aboard the recently-launched one-of-a-kind scientific research, media production and exploration vessel, the R/V OceanXplorer. The combined marine research and media vessel OceanXplorer is both a floating, integrated marine research…

Seakeeper launched its newest model, the Seakeeper 18, at the Cannes Yachting Festival.Designed to provide more angular momentum without increasing weight, size or power, the Seakeeper 18 is a new option for boats ~65-75 feet (~20-23 meters) or up to ~56 tons. The Seakeeper 18 packs a punch with 18,000 Newton-meter-seconds (N-m-s) of angular momentum, the standard in measuring gyroscopic output, but in the same footprint as the Seakeeper 16 (16,000 N-m-s).The Seakeeper 18 will be available for shipment beginning late 2019 and will retail for $119,900.Additional specs include:Weight: 2,244 lbs.

3 One Day Workshops - Southampton UK April 2-4, 2019As the digital age rapidly arrives all around us, it (or IT) may have overlooked that safety at sea is still all about people. To meet the changing requirements of modern fleets, smart organizations and specialist equipment manufacturers now need to work together to blend traditional safety methods with innovation.A unique program of three specialist safety days for the sub IMO / sub 80 feet professional sector is being held back-to-back at the Grand Harbor overlooking the port of Southampton UK this April.

Moran Iron Works, Inc. (MIW) signed a contract with Pictured Rocks Kayaking (PRK) to build a specialized passenger tour vessel. Together, and in conjunction with DLBA (a division of Gibbs & Cox, Inc.), they are creating a special purpose tour boat that is first of its kind in the Great Lakes region.The 64’ by 19’ vessel will be constructed out of aluminum at Moran Iron Works’ headquarters in Onaway, Michigan. The purpose of this particular unnamed vessel is to escort 72 passengers and 36 kayaks around Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for guided kayak tours.

Even Mother Nature Can’t Dent the Enthusiasm at this Year’s MACC.Curtis Bay, MD: On the morning after the Baltimore, MD area received a record 3.5 inches of torrential rain in just 90 minutes, this year’s Multi-Agency Craft Conference (MACC) kicked off without a hitch at the United States Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, MD. That may sound easy, but for those flying in Tuesday afternoon (or like myself, driving in through DC at exactly the moment that the George Washington Parkway flooded badly near the DCA Airport), it was touch and go.Although a proud (although badly aging) graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a licensed mariner – Chief Mate (any gross tons) and a 1600 Ton Master – this officially was my first command at sea.