Page 10: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 1992)

Artist"s conception of the new SWATH Ocean-built Houston pilot boat.

Swath Ocean To Build

Twin-Hull Pilot Boat

For Houston Pilots

Reportedly World's First SWATH Pilot Boat

The Chula Vista, Calif., yard of

Swath Ocean Systems has been con- tracted by the Houston Pilots to build a 66-foot aluminum SWATH pilot boat, said to be the world's first such vessel. The vessel will be a Swath

Ocean Systems 2000 Class pilot boat, with delivery scheduled for October 1992.

In commenting on the decision to select the Swath Ocean Systems vessel, Capt. Harry Lydick, presi- dent of Houston Pilots, said: "While we were impressed with the large amount of space available on a ves- sel only 66 feet, the overriding factor was the extremely stable ride at- tainable under adverse sea condi- tions. When we first saw the com- pany video on how these vessels perform, we were very impressed, but highly skeptical. After mem- bers of our selection committee rode

Swath Ocean Systems vessels on different occasions and under stormy conditions, we were convinced."

One selection committee member stated, after a trip on board a Swath

Ocean vessel, "I feel certain it (a

Swath Ocean vessel) will revolution- ize pilot boats of the future."

The Houston Pilots service the third largest commercial port in the

U.S. and sixth largest in the world, with vessels up to 950 feet in length, transporting over 125 million tons of cargo annually. The pilots board and disembark vessels at the off- shore end of Galveston Bay entrance channel. Since sea conditions in this exposed transfer area can be rough during most of the year, the monohulls now used by the Houston

Pilots experience considerable mo- tion while laying to on station or during transfer operations. This motion can tire pilots waiting for vessels and increase danger during transfer operations.

Both the pilots and Swath Ocean anticipate, apart from the greatly reduced motions inherent in the

Swath Ocean hull form, that the exceptional directional stability of a swath will allow transfer operations at higher speeds than with the present monohulls. This capability, which has been confirmed in trials run off the San Francisco bar, should reduce roll motion on both the pilot vessel and the target vessel, reduc- ing the danger to the pilot during transfer.

For free literature detailing the

Swath Ocean Systems 2000 Class pilot boat,

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Engineering Visions

Awarded $15.6 Million

U.S. Navy Contract

Engineering Visions, Inc. (ENVI-

SIONS), a San Diego engineering and technical services firm, was awarded a $15.6 million contract to develop and update Operational

Sequencing System (OSS) docu- ments for Navy ships.

The OSS documents provide de- tailed procedures for operating the engineering plants, the cargo and aviation fuel systems, and the sew- age disposal systems onboard Navy surface ships of the Pacific Fleet.

In making the announcement,

Robert A. Waller, president of EN-

VISIONS, said: "Award of this con- tract to ENVISIONS enhances our position as a leading supplier of en- gineering and technical services to the U.S. Navy. It will also provide continued employment of some 80 people at our San Diego facility," he added.

ENVISIONS has over 350 em- ployees located at major operational sites in San Francisco, Calif.,

Bremerton, Wash., Norfolk, Va., and

Charleston, S.C., in addition to the

San Diego site.

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Maritime Reporter/Engineering News