Volvo Penta for Virginia Pilots Boats
The new boat being built for the Virginia Pilots Association joins the increasing number of pilot boats powered by Volvo Penta IPS. The 55-ft. vessel, designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates and built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, will run on twin D13 900 hp U.S. EPA Tier 3 engines with IPS3 drives. “Stability, reliability, support, speed and efficiency – these are the five criteria that we used to select the engine for the new pilot boat,” said Frank Rabena, a 17-year pilot and chairman of the Association’s pilot boat committee. Research began in 2011 when Rabena and the Association’s port engineer, Mark Kampfmueller, visited the Volvo Penta facility in Sweden where they saw the IPS system firsthand and realized its potential.
Volvo Penta IPS for New Tampa Bay Pilot Boat
The new Chesapeake-class MKII launch delivered this month by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding to the Tampa Bay Pilots Association features integrated engine and drive from Volvo Penta. The new 52.7-ft. 28-knot pilot boat, designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates, is powered by twin Volvo Penta D11 six-cylinder 503 hp diesel engines with IPS2 drives and Volvo Penta EVC electronic steering and control system. Each of the IPS pods has two counter-rotating forward-facing props that pull the boat through the water rather than pushing it.
Timmel Named International Maritime Person of the Year
Captain John C. Timmel, president and executive director of the American Victory Mariners Memorial & Museum Ship and harbor pilot with the Tampa Bay Pilots Association, has been named "International Maritime Person of the Year" by the Propeller Club of the United States. "It is an honor to receive such a prestigious award from my peers that acknowledges not only my efforts, but also the efforts of many," said Timmel. Timmel spent many years leading the development efforts in Tampa’s maritime technology. Advisory Council, Timmel helped create the carry-on portable pilot, a computerized, real-time, vessel tracking device, which several other international ports now use. This device allows mariners to track other vessels in the waterways, helping prevent shipping collisions.
