Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Freeland, Wash., has won a contract from the San Francisco Bar Pilots Benevolent and Protective Association to build the pilot organization's next station vessel, the shipyard announced Wednesday.
The approximately 110' vessel was designed by Seattle-based Glosten and will be built at Nichols Brothers' Whidbey Island yard. Maritime Consulting Partners is serving as owner's representative and providing project management through procurement and construction. Neither the contract value nor a delivery date was disclosed.
The boat will be powered by Tier 4 diesels selected to cut fuel consumption and emissions while meeting California Air Resources Board requirements. Built for continuous offshore station keeping, it will include upgraded accommodations, improved seakeeping and the endurance needed for round-the-clock pilot operations, according to the yard.
Nichols Brothers said it will now convert Glosten's contract design into a production engineering package before starting fabrication, assembly, outfitting and testing. The two firms have worked together on a number of commercial and government vessel programs.
The San Francisco Bar Pilots operate around the clock year-round, handling nearly every deep-draft commercial ship moving in and out of San Francisco Bay. Pilots board containerships, tankers, vehicle carriers, and cruise ships about 11 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge, then take them through more than 160 miles of waterways serving the California ports of San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, Stockton and Sacramento, along with surrounding terminals. The station vessel is the offshore platform that makes those transfers possible.
"Our pilots depend on the station vessel to provide a safe and reliable transfer platform in all types of weather as well as a much-welcome place to rest, eat, and recharge between jobs," said Capt. John Carlier, president of the San Francisco Bar Pilots. "This new vessel will do just that while advancing the organization's sustainability efforts, and we look forward to working closely with NBBB, as well as with Glosten and Maritime Consulting Partners, throughout the process."
"Being selected by the San Francisco Bar Pilots is an honor for everyone at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders," said CEO Gavin Higgins. "This award reflects the confidence our customers place in our people, our facilities, and our ability to execute technically demanding vessel construction programs."
General Manager Nick Zustiak said the program will put work in front of the yard's welders, shipfitters, pipefitters, electricians, machinists, and painters, and create apprenticeship openings.
"Projects like this are about much more than building a vessel — they're about building careers," Zustiak said.
