Tampa Yacht Manufacturing News

GoM shipyards are meeting the demand for right-sized, multi-mission boats. In the last decade, Gulf Coast shipyards have watched demand for multi-mission vessels grow from foreign governments and U.S. authorities. In particular, local counties and municipalities – pinched by shrinking budgets and expanding mission sets – began the march to leverage a single hull for more than one task. And, since these boats can serve military or civilian needs, the need for boatbuilders to quickly adapt a standard hull form to a particular requirement became a highly desired skill set.

Export hulls – through the FMS Program, as well as Direct Sales – are a key piece of the business model. Even as the crash in energy prices feeds the oversupply of offshore support vessels – a key staple of U.S. boatbuilding diets – and the dwindling backlogs of some so-called ‘second tier’ yards,  a number of U.S. boat builders are still seeing robust demand for security vessels. Separately, tightening federal, state, municipal and overseas budgets are being trumped by the increased need for security craft that can perform more than one function.

Combat, Patrol and Law Enforcement Vessels Meet Multiple Missions with varied business plans. U.S. firms building patrol, combat and law enforcement craft are weathering government budget cuts by strengthening ties with clients and public agencies. These unique boats remain in demand because of terrorism, crime, wars, piracy and fire, and most serve multiple missions. As maritime nations beef up their defense capabilities, U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) programs help builders do business overseas.

The Kuwaiti Coast Guard ordered 29 new 44-foot fast coastal interceptor-class (FCI) vessels from Tampa Yacht Manufacturing LLC. For the new builds, the Kuwaiti Coast Guard specified total drive solutions from Twin Disc, featuring Arneson ASD11 surface drives and Rolla propellers. Powered by dual MAN R6-800 turbo-charged engines, developing a total power of 1,600 horsepower, 44-FCI has a top speed exceeding 55 knots at full load, due in part to the surface-piercing design of its Arneson Surface Drives.

Following an extensive evaluation protocol, the Kuwaiti Ministry of the interior has placed an order with Tampa Yacht Manufacturing LLC based in Florida – U.S.A, parent company of Tampa Defence UK and Tampa Defense USA, for 29 Fast Coastal Interceptor craft for the Kuwaiti Coast Guard. The 14.42M craft are powered by Man R6-800 diesels rated at 1600hp. The Tampa Yacht 44 FCI has a top speed of 55+ knots at full load and a range of over 300 nautical miles at 38 knots. With a crew capacity of up to six Coast Guard personnel the craft is equipped with NIJ111A ballistic armour, Areneson Surface Drives, crew served weapon mounts and a comprehensive electronic suite. The first craft will be delivered in September 2015.

U.S. companies continue to land lucrative contracts with domestic and foreign customers for vessels that are designed or specially customized to meet defense, police and anti-piracy needs. Governments here and abroad, meanwhile, continue to cut budgets. Many of the security craft to be delivered this year are built to save energy, reduce emissions and reach higher speeds and greater cruising ranges than their predecessors. They have the latest tracking and communications systems. And a few new vessels are remotely operated.

Tampa Yacht Manufacturing LLC offers ‘Battle Ready’ products with superior strength, high performance and extended life cycle. Each of TYM’s vessels is designed and engineered to be mission specific. Included in its portfolio are craft in the 9 to 11 meter length, engineered to provide economical and highly effective harbor and near shore defense and law enforcement solutions. TYM also offers several mid-size craft from 12 to 15 meters, designed to be aggressive, robust high performance craft engineered for interception, interdiction and take-down of high speed craft.

Successful sea trials of Tampa Yacht Manufacturing’s latest 50 Fast Attack Craft won praise for the performance of MJP waterjets. The 50’ Fast Attack Craft is a carbon-fibre reinforced, GRP 16.15M (53’) LOA, patrol vessel with a beam of 4.43M (14’8-1/2”). The design has been a best seller for Tampa Yacht Manufacturing and exists in multiple mission configurations. The latest craft is the first to have been equipped with MJP waterjets but retains the standard MAN R6 800HP diesel engines running at 2,350rpm, and a ZF 500 Gearbox at 1.125:1 Ratio.

Many variables drive the design decisions for High Speed Craft and RHIBS. Commercial off the Shelf Solutions often tie all of these together. The world is changing fast and nowhere is this truer than in the fast boat sector. When selecting a new boat, the questions used to be relatively simple: how long, how many engines, what fuel type and how fast? Military and professional maritime organizations have been driving the evolution of extreme fast craft for over 30 years. Naval architects…

Building patrol boats is big business, especially for foreign defense needs. U.S. yards compete on a global stage in the all-important maritime security workboat arena. Patrol boats have continued to enhance bottom lines at many U.S. vessel builders this year through sales that are usually government directed or assisted. Budget cuts are a concern, but the sector’s federal funding remains high. Patrol boats are sold to other nations under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales or FMS program, authorized by the Arms Export Control Act to provide defense items.

In-House Design Changes are no problem at Tampa Yacht Manufacturing. Whether of internal design and manufacture or tweaking of standard, commercially available off-the-shelf marine equipment, TYM went the extra yard for its customers. Built by Tampa Yacht Manufacturing, (TYM), the 36RHIB is the general purpose configuration of their versatile 36 foot platform; a proven design. Additional configurations of the 36RHIB include an Aft Helm Configured Fast Boarding Craft, as well as an Air Droppable variant. The FPC offers enhanced open water performance with a robust propulsion package, and includes key elements to facilitate mother ship interface. The 36RHIB is designed and built to IACS standards for Fast Patrol Vessels.

The Tempest 50-FAC from Tampa Yacht Manufacturing (TYM) is designed to provide Patrol and surveillance in shallow coastal and riverine waters by day and night in marshy areas of creeks with shifting sand bars, with low draft, high maneuverability and speed. The vessel’s hull design, which includes forward center of projected planning area center to ensure controlled turning at extreme rudder angles at high speed for pursuit and evasion, is of conventional high speed modified-vee…

Foreign Demand For U.S. Military And Commercial Vessels Is Brisk; For Now. In the heavy shadow of possible sequestration-induced federal budget cuts, some U.S. companies are busy supplying vessels to overseas customers under the Navy’s Foreign Military Sales program and through private contracts to foreign government and firms. Demand for offshore oil vessels is strong. A big chunk of overseas business now is under the U.S. FMS, transferring defense equipment, services and training to other nations. Countries approved for the FMS pay for vessels themselves and/or with U.S. government help.

The professional maritime sector recognizes the need to reduce the effects of Whole Body Vibration (WBV) but this is not a straightforward process for those operating planing craft. These vessels can expose crews and passengers to high levels of repeated shock and vibration which has been shown to increase the risk of injury. In flat sea conditions there is vibration from the engine, gearbox and shaft but the crew and passengers are not exposed to harmful vibration. All fast boat operators know that waves change everything.

Military appetite for powerful and agile smaller platforms heats up. The use of small craft by terrorist organizations and domestic terrorist cells is a worldwide threat as demonstrated by the bombing of the USNS COLE. The attack on Mumbai, India, in November of 2008, brought the danger to the forefront. Nations realized that to combat this asymmetrical small craft threat, a similar small craft defense – not replacing, but in parallel with traditional larger platforms – is required.

Military appetite for powerful and agile smaller platforms heats up. The use of small craft by terrorist organizations and domestic terrorist cells is a worldwide threat as demonstrated by the bombing of the USS COLE. The attack on Mumbai, India, in November of 2008, brought the danger to the forefront. Nations realized that to combat this asymmetrical small craft threat, a similar small craft defense – not replacing, but in parallel with traditional larger platforms – is required.