Page 42: of Marine News Magazine (March 2013)

SWIFTSHIPS BUILDS FOR IRAQ AND OTHERS Last month, the Iraqi Navy took delivery of two, ad- ditional 120-foot Coastal Patrol Craft built by Swiftships Shipbuilders, LLC, in Morgan City, La. as part of a 15- ship U.S. Navy FMS case, said Shehraze Shah, Swiftships CEO. ?P-310 and P-311, handed over at the Umm Qasr naval facility on Feb. 12, are the tenth and eleventh of the class. Lead vessel P-301 was delivered in Sept. 2010 during Iraqi Navy Day celebrations.? Using a design chosen by the Iraqi government, the Coast- al Patrol Craft will be used to enforce the nation?s maritime sovereignty and protect offshore oil platforms, Shah said. Pro- pelled by three MTU 16V2000 diesel engines with three pro- pellers, the vessel?s aluminum alloy superstructure and hull with seven watertight bulkheads can reach speeds in excess of 30 knots and can sustain a 25-man crew for up to six days. ?We serve commercial and military markets around the globe,? Shah said. ?Our client list ranges from Tidewater Inc. to the Dominican Navy. The Egyptian Navy has been buy- ing patrol boats from us since 1976. Now we?re delivering to Egypt under a one-of-a-kind, Build Operate and Transfer/ Co-Production program for them.? As for backlogs, he said, ?On our existing Iraqi patrol boat task, we have a backlog of three vessels that are part of  fteen vessels ordered by the Iraqi Navy under the FMS. We?ve delivered eleven of those vessels so far, with another to be delivered in March.? Shah said the Iraqi Navy considers Swiftships a trusted agent and contractor. ?Asian and other foreign builders don?t have a leg to stand on because they?ll never offer the same quality and design agility that we do,? he said. ?We have over 125 designs and 600 plus hulls under our belt, along with a price-conscious business model. As we man- age our growing ship portfolio, our new partnership with Iraq allows us to  ll new demand and expand our reach in the military-ship construction industry while we con- tinue to differentiate Swiftships as a quality brand. Over the last year, we?ve expanded in Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.? Founded in 1947, Swiftships announced Metal Shark?s 28? De ant with diesel water jets, built for Djibouti.42 MNMarch 2013 MN March2013 Layout 32-49.indd 42MN March2013 Layout 32-49.indd 423/4/2013 3:23:30 PM3/4/2013 3:23:30 PM