Crescent River Port Pilots Order Two Vessels from Snow & Company
Seattle shipbuilder Snow & Company announced it has been awarded a contract to build a pair of 50-foot pilot boats for the Crescent River Port Pilots’ Association, based in Louisiana.
Designed by U.K.-based Camarc Design, the all-aluminum vessels have a refined hull with enhanced fuel efficiencies and reduced slamming accelerations, which provide excellent all-around seakeeping capabilities and a pilot specific shape to facilitate safe boarding operations.
The vessels will be powered by twin Volvo Penta D13-800 EPA Tier 3 marine diesel engines, twin Hamilton Jet HJ403 waterjets with two station AVX express controls, and Twin Disc MGX5136SC marine gears. This combination allows for high performance maneuverability with an expected top speed of 35 knots, according to the builder.
“The Crescent River Port Pilots are very excited about contracting with Snow & Company, Inc. to build two custom Camarc Design jet powered pilot boats to safely service pilot transfers to deep draft vessels on the lower Mississippi River at Pilottown. Safety on the unpredictable Mississippi River is our top priority. We look forward to these boats to help us achieve our mission of safely guiding billions of dollars of precious cargo in and out of one of the largest river ports in the world.” Capt. E. Michael Bopp, President, Crescent River Port Pilots’ Association.
Specifications
Hull length: 49’ 3”
Length overall: 53’ 11”
Beam overall: 16’ 8”
Draft: 3’
Fuel: 600 gallons
Freshwater: 55 Gallons
Engines: Twin Volvo D13-800 EPA Tier 3, 800hp at 2,300 rpm
Propulsion: Hamilton Jet twin HJ403 waterjets
Controls: Two station AVX with express controls
Marine gears: Twin Disc gear MGX5136SC
Speed: 35 knots (max), 32 knots (cruise)
Features
1 -2 crew, 8 pilots
STIDD crew & pilot seats
Patented Pop-Sure fendering system
Northern Lights 16kW AC generator
Roof Pilot Boarding System
Furuno Electronics package
FLIR M364C Thermal Camera System w/ joystick control
Atkins & Hoyle 8000t low profile davit system w/12v winch with 800 lbs safe working load
All-aluminum construction
