From WorkBoat

Four new high-speed patrol boats built by Metal Shark have entered service with the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG) on the island of Aruba.

The vessels officially went into service after a ceremony on Jan. 23 at DCCG’s Station Aruba.

Designed in-house by Metal Shark and built at the company’s Jeanerette, La., production facility, the new 38′ Defiant-class welded aluminum monohull patrol boats are powered by twin Cummins Marine QSB6.7 diesel engines coupled with counter-rotating dual-prop stern drives. The vessels reach top speeds in excess of 45 knots.

A fully-enclosed pilothouse shields the crew from the elements, while Metal Shark’s signature pillarless glass pilothouse arrangement assures unimpeded visibility. A full suite of navigation electronics includes Raymarine radar, GPS, and multifunction display, and a FLIR thermal-imaging system for night operations.

Composite armor panels provide ballistic crew protection, Shockwave Corbin shock-mitigating seating has been provided for a crew of six, and anti-fatigue floor covering has been employed in the pilothouse and the below decks crew spaces. For extended patrols at sea, accommodations include an enclosed head compartment, galley, and v-berth.

“With the acquisition of these four state-of-the-art high-performance patrol boats, the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard has significantly increased its capabilities in Aruba,” Josh Stickles, Metal Shark’s vice president of marketing, said in a statement announcing the delivery. “Joining the four identical Metal Sharks delivered to neighboring Curaçao last year, these vessels will strengthen the DCCG’s presence across the region.”

The new Metal Shark patrol boats were acquired by the Dutch Ministry of Defense to bolster its capabilities across the Caribbean. In all, the DCCG will operate 12 Metal Shark boats in the territorial waters of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, and Saba.

“This delivery represents the latest result of our multiyear collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Defense and end users in Curaçao, Aruba, and St. Maarten, which will soon receive its own fleet of four Metal Shark patrol boats,” Henry Irizarry, Metal Shark’s vice president of international business development, said in a statement. “Our globally proven 38 Defiant patrol boat platform has been fully optimized to meet the DCCG’s requirements for performance, durability, and crew safety in open-ocean conditions across the Caribbean.”

The final four vessels built for the DCCG are currently en route to St. Maarten and will enter service following activation and crew instruction by a Metal Shark training team.

For more on this story go to: https://www.workboat.com/news/shipbuilding/metal-shark-delivers-patrol-boats-dutch-caribbean-coast-guard-2/