Metal Shark, Jeanerette, La., announced this week that it had delivered a new aluminum 75'x24' custom configured multipurpose port security fireboat to the Port of South Louisiana, LaPlace, La. The boat was constructed at the boatbuilder’s Franklin, La., yard.

Based on Metal Shark’s Endurance-class catamaran design, the boat employs up-to-date technology to support fire rescue missions, command and control (C2) operations, and around-the-clock port security efforts at the largest tonnage port in the western hemisphere. The fully integrated, standalone C2 platform is designed for multiagency coordination in emergency response situations and a positive-pressure chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) ventilation system affords crew protection in disaster response situations. The 75 Endurance is fully equipped to stay on station for extended periods.

For firefighting, two dedicated John Deere 9L drive engines channel up to 6,000 gpm through an oversized water main where electronic valves divert water to three radio frequency-controlled monitors. In addition, there are four 2.5" hydrant connections and a 400-gal. foam reservoir. 

“Our 75 Endurance is the most advanced fireboat design on the market, incorporating crew friendly features and advanced systems throughout,” Metal Shark president Chris Allard said in a statement announcing the delivery.

Two Caterpillar C-18 diesel engines in a conventional straight-shaft inboard configuration through Twin Disc marine gearsprovide the new vessel’s main propulsion. The 75 Endurance has a cruising speed of 25 knots while yielding a nominal operating range of over 500 miles.

The pilothouse has 360° visibility. Below decks quarters offer bunking capacity for six or more crewmembers.

Ken Hocke has been the senior editor of WorkBoat since 1999. He was the associate editor of WorkBoat from 1997 to 1999. Prior to that, he was the editor of the Daily Shipping Guide, a transportation daily in New Orleans. He has written for other publications including The Times-Picayune. He graduated from Louisiana State University with an arts and sciences degree, with a concentration in English, in 1978.