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SECURITY WORKBOATS

IMPACT rigid hull infl atable boats, along with Sentry alu- minum vessels. “Our security and law enforcement boats are considered by customers to be a great value proposi- tion,” Davis said. “In the near future, we plan to deliver boats equipped with cutting-edge technology from FLIR

Systems, Mercury Marine and SHOXS seats,” he said. “Through our relationships with some of the industry’s best innovators, we’re able to offer fully customizable boats, equipped to handle the tough missions that mari- time security professionals often endure.” As of September,

Brunswick had back orders for security vessels stretching well into 2017.

Swiftships:

Patrol Boats and – a Security Service “With growing threats in the Middle East region, sev- eral international clients have shown interest in our proven 25m to 65m Security Patrol Vessels or SPVs,” Shehraze

Shah, CEO of Swiftships Ship Builders, LLC in Morgan

City, La., said last month. Swiftships plans to deliver its fi rst fl eet of 56-foot Security Patrol Vessels to the Malay- sian and African coasts by December. “We’re building our own fl eet of vessels with operators to provide turn-key solutions for a large gas exploration company,” Shah said. “And, in addition to new-build op- portunities, we just launched Swiftships Maritime Security or SMS as a service.” SMS’s roster of security professionals and expert crews use patrol vessels with the latest tracking and communications systems to provide piracy and rob- bery protection for commercial vessels and private yachts from ports to international shipping lanes. Under SMS, oil-and-gas and other companies pay day rates, Shah said.

So far, Swiftships has one SMS customer for this year. “If requested by a client, SMS can provide armed guards on vessels transiting danger zones in international waters,”

Shah said. Many SMS personnel have ‘special forces’ expe- rience. Former naval offi cers and seamen operating SMS vessels know international ports and their operations.

As for new technologies, “Swiftships has been working with tier-3 engines to sustain longer missions by being fuel effi cient and to keep carbon footprints down,” Shah said. “In addition to our emission initiatives, our non-lethal mission, along with remote operated vessels or ROV, tech- nology is being fully deployed under SMS.”

Shah said University of Louisiana at Lafayette is one of

Swiftships’ technology partners. “They are, for example, involved in researching the trend of technology and how science will view a concept and come up with a proto- type,” he said. “In the end, Swiftships’ sister company,

ICS, builds the technology and takes it to market.” ICS-

Nett Inc. is based in Vienna, Va.

With its latest set of orders, Swiftships joins the growing number of small, U.S.-based boatyards that remain very busy. “We have back orders on six 45 meter Fast Missile

Boats for Iraq and various 65m Offshore Patrol Vessels for

Libya, which are under Letter of Request with the Navy

International Program Offi ce or NIPO, pending funding approval,” Shah said.

Tampa Yacht Manufacturing’s 50’ fast attack craftMetalCraft Marine’s Sentry 36 vessel

October 2014 30 MN

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