Metal Shark, Jeanerette, La., has been awarded two U.S. Coast Guard Foreign Military Sales contracts to build patrol boats for the maritime forces of Cameroon and the Republic of Georgia.
Each contract includes one 38 Defiant patrol boat, a transport trailer, spare parts and operator training. Both vessels will be built at Metal Shark’s Jeanerette facility. Contract values and delivery schedules were not disclosed.
“These awards mark Metal Shark’s entry into two new markets while delivering new capabilities that will modernize the maritime fleets of Georgia and Cameroon,” Henry Irizarry, Metal Shark’s senior vice president of international business development, said in a statement.
The welded-aluminum 38 Defiant is designed for coastal patrol, maritime interdiction, port security, search and rescue, and other security missions. The platform has served with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard and is operated by U.S. partner nations across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, according to Metal Shark.
The boat features an enclosed Defiant-series pilothouse designed to provide visibility and crew protection from weather. The platform can accommodate multiple propulsion arrangements and mission-specific equipment, although the company did not disclose configurations for the Cameroon and Georgia vessels.
The boats and support packages are intended to strengthen the countries’ maritime law enforcement capabilities and support protection of territorial waters and critical infrastructure.
Metal Shark said its vessels are operated by military forces in more than 70 U.S. partner nations.
