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 110'2"x28'2" 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 MAN D3872 LE427 engines (1,234 hp at 1,800 rpm) with diesel particulate filters to cut emissions while meeting EPA Tier 4 and California Air Resources Board requirements. It will reach a speed of 14.5 knots.
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.
The boat will feature Northern Lights M200A13 generators, Jastram B-76-300 double-acting steering cylinder steering, and nickel aluminum bronze, fixed-pitch, 5-bladed propellers with a 64" diameter and 64" pitch.
Twin Disc will supply MGX-5321 DC, 4.42:1 reduction gears MC-75 master clutch, and PG-2800 hybrid gearbox. Danfoss will provide the vessel's DC switchboard, lithium-ion batteries, transformers, propulsion motors, and control system.
The boat will hold up to 8,270 gals. of fuel and 1,370 gals. freshwater.
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.
The new boat will have capacity for four crew and eight pilots.
"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.
