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U.S. Report they are accredited to work in a ship- yard. This allows them to in the future gain work at another international or domestic yard, and it also serves as doc- umentation that they are certified to work in aluminum shipbuilding. "We will work to develop training for

Bollinger Incat USA that is different from steel welding," Lowrie said.

Similar to Incat's high-speed cargo carrier, the TSVs will be able to trans- port tanks, trucks and cars on both the military and commercial sides. The ves- sels incorporate a high level of technol- ogy, and will be able to enter and unload supplies into a larger number of ports otherwise restricted by draft for conven- tional vessels. In the past, according to

Lowrie, the military wanted a ship that could be everything to everybody. "Most of these ships would be weighed down with heavy equipment and multi- function capabilities and not mission- specific," he said. "For the first time, the American mili- tary is starting to realize the need for high speed craft and is now beginning to think of a design that is achievable,"

Lowrie said. "We do have the vessel designs and the capabilities to deliver what the U.S. Military wants."

Bollinger Incat USA has presented its ideas to other arms of the military, including the U.S. Coast Guard and

Navy Seals. The company aims to pro- vide the USCG with high-speed craft that can deploy helicopters for rescue, as well as RIBs, while still moving at high speeds. According to Lowrie, each craft would be module specific allowing greater operational flexibility. Similar to

Incat's 321 ft. (98 m) design, high speed craft meant for picking up illegal immi- grants while on border patrol would contain detention cells, while a search and rescue craft would boast temporary beds and medical capabilities. These vessels, which have the ability to travel the high seas, are equipped to handle the rescue of passengers on a mega ship that can hold as many as 2,500 passengers.

With more than 24,000 sq. ft. of deck space, vehicle deck and passenger seat- ing, the vessel is more than equipped to bring a full cruise ship of passengers to safety. "These vessels will cut down on assets and crewing, which are two issues that the USCG is struggling to meet right now," Lowrie said.

Moving Offshore and Beyond

Bollinger Incat USA also plans to profit from the offshore market.

Bollinger Incat USA will bring a new breed of vessels into this arena with its

High Speed Offshore Crew and Supply

Vessels. Blending Incat USA's alu- minum expertise with Bollinger's OSV construction know-how, the vessels will be able to transport a much larger quan- tity of crew and supplies to rigs at up to 40 knots in seas higher than 20 ft., seem- ingly an attractive feature given the fact that Exploration & Production continues to push further offshore to deeper waters. The vessels will offer a cost- effective method of transportation as they will be able to complete a supply/crew run in half the time as OSV, as well as being able to visit five to seven rigs at one time - thus alleviating the amount of downtime for the rig crews, which inevitably saves operators money. "We will basically work to sup- ply vessels to the Military, Coast Guard, oil industry and commercial freight and ferry market," Lowrie said. "We also hope to export that technology to other countries beyond the U.S. A lot of other militaries look to see what the U.S. comes out with, and hopefully they'll take notice of what Bollinger Incat is developing for these operations."

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