Tag Archives: maritime

Kitsap company honored for hiring veterans

The state honored a rapidly-growing ship maintenance company in Kitsap County last week for its commitment to hiring veterans.

Former service members comprise more than half of the workforce at Global Government Services in Bremerton, according to a news release from the Employment Security Department.

Global Government Services hired 96 full-time workers in the past year, including laborers, helpers, welders, electricians, machinists and mechanics. It plans to hire another 100 employees in the coming year, according to the release.

Global was among 12 businesses across the state honored for creating employment opportunities for veterans.

“These companies’ commitment to hiring veterans is truly exceptional,” Employment Security Department Commissioner Peinecke said the in the release. “I hope other Washington employers will be inspired and follow their lead.”

The state’s WorkSource program placed nearly 7,500 veterans into jobs between July 2015 and June 2016.

Employers interested in hiring veterans can learn more at the WorkSource website.

SAFE Boats builds vessels for Bahamas Police

Tad Sooter

safe.boats.bahamas

Two boats tested in Sinclair Inlet are now patrolling sunnier seas.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force has accepted delivery of a pair of 41-foot, center console interceptor vessels manufactured by Bremerton’s SAFE Boats International, according to a news release.

The boats will primarily be used to combat drug smuggling and human trafficking in water surrounding the archipelago. Special features include a thermal imaging camera and multi-function display screens for the crew.

The offshore interceptor vessels can achieve speeds of more than 50 knots, even in rough water. Bahamas police have four of the boats in service.

SAFE Boats recently landed a $48 million U.S. Customs contract to build 52 Coastal Interceptor Vessels. The company will begin delivering those vessels this year, according to the release.

SAFE Boats’ small boat manufacturing center is located in the Port of Bremerton’s Olympic View Industrial Park, near Bremerton National Airport.

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SAFE Boats building river patrol vessel for Colombia

Tad Sooter

safe.boats.riverine — The new riverine interceptor vessel (courtesy SAFE Boats)

Bremerton’s SAFE Boats International has been chosen to build a line of speedy river patrol vessels for the ColI mbian military.

The Colombian Navy/Coast Guard awarded a contract to the manufacturer for the new 30-foot boat, designated as the Type-F Riverine Interceptor Vessel.

“The vessel will perform missions of offensive patrolling, combat drug trafficking, piracy, arms and explosives smuggling and can conduct vessel-to-vessel boarding operations to guarantee the security of commercial shipping lines within Colombia,” according to a news release. safe.logo

The interceptor can carry a crew of up to 10. The boat is powered by twin Yamaha outboards and is capable of reaching 37 knots.

It features a retractable canopy, and front and rear machine gun mounts.

SAFE Boats has completed the first riverine interceptor, which will be delivered this month. The company expects to build as many as two-dozen of the boats for Colombia in coming years.

The Colombian military already has more than 20 SAFE Boats in service, including 41-foot coastal interceptor vessels and 38-foot coastal cabin patrol vessels.

“We have worked very close with the Colombian military to understand just how aggressive and remote their missions can be and to develop a boat that will significantly enhance their patrol and interdiction capabilities on the large rivers of Colombia,” John Hotz, director of sales for Latin America and the Caribbean, said in the release.

SAFE Boats builds its smaller aluminum vessels at a facility in the Port of Bremerton’s Olympic View Industrial Park. A larger line of Navy patrol boats is being built in Tacoma.

SAFE Boats lands $48M U.S. Customs contract

Tad Sooter

Bremerton-based SAFE Boats International will build up to 52 Coastal Interceptor Vehicles under a new contract for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

SAFE.interceptor — Coastal Interceptor Vehicle (Courtesy image)

The contract is valued at more than $48 million, according to a news release.

The 41-foot Coastal Interceptors designed to chase down suspect boats, and serve as a platform for officers to perform searches and seizures.

The vessels are highly maneuverable and can reach speeds of more than 54 knots over open ocean.

“We are gratified to be selected and entrusted with this program by the Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection”, SAFE Boats President Dennis Morris said in the release. “We understand how critical their mission is and believe that the SAFE Boats CIV will insure effective mission execution for years to come.”

SafeBoats03_12483660_ver1.0_640_480 — Dennis Morris (MEEGAN REID /KITSAP SUN)

The interceptors are similar to a center-console vessels SAFE Boats has already produced for the Royal Bahamian Police, Colombian Navy and private owners.

With the addition of the Customs contract, SAFE Boats is now working on three projects for the federal government, including a series of small, “Over-the-Horizon” vessels for the Coast Guard, and larger Mk VI patrol boats for the Navy, which are being produced in Tacoma.

With the award of CIV, SAFE Boats is now delivering 3 major US Federal programs including the USCG Over-the-Horizon (OTH) and the US Navy Mk VI High Speed Patrol Boat.

SAFE Boats employs about 190 workers at its Port of Bremerton manufacturing facility, where it recently renewed its lease.

SAFE Boats delivering patrol vessels to Tunisia

Tad Sooter

Two boats built in Bremerton will soon be roving off the Mediterranean coast of Africa.

SAFE Boats International recently announced the completion of a pair of 65-foot patrol boats for the Tunisian Navy. One boat already arrived in Tunisia. A second is being delivered.

According to a news release, the boats feature dual 1,600 horse-power diesel engines, shock absorbing seating, climate controlled cabins and navigation equipment. They can reach speeds in excess of 40 knots (nearly 50 mph).

The boats will help the Tunisian Navy conduct search-and-rescue missions and extended offshore patrols.

SAFE Boats’ products already make up a healthy portion of Tunisia’s fleet. The company has previously delivered 20 vessels to the Tunisian Navy, ranging from 25 to 44 feet long.

“We are extremely honored to be a continuing part of the Tunisian Navy and providing products that allow their personnel to accomplish the challenging missions they face.”, SAFE Boats CEO Dennis Morris said in the release.

The 65 foot boats are among the largest vessels SAFE Boats has built at its Port of Bremerton facility. The boats were fabricated in temporary hangars outside the main plant.

SAFE Boats lease extension is a done deal

Tad Sooter

Port of Bremerton commissioners approved lease extensions Tuesday night for SAFE Boats International, the port’s largest industrial tenant.

Though the rough terms of the deal had been hammered out months ago, commissioners were clearly elated to have the agreement formalized. SAFE Boats employs nearly 200 workers in the port’s Olympic View Industrial Park.

“We’re very proud to have a relationship with SAFE Boats, and to have you in our industrial park,” Commissioner Axel Strakeljahn said. “At the end of the day it’s about the people who live in our community and the people who work at safe boats.”

SAFE Boats CEO Dennis Morris (pictured above) thanked the port for crafting lease extensions that meets the company’s changing needs.

safeboats “I think we’ve reached an agreement that will work for all of us,” Morris said.

The extensions lock in SAFE Boats as a tenant through mid 2017. After that, the manufacturer has the option of signing one-year extensions for up to four successive years on any or all of the four properties it leases.

The agreement requires a generous nine-month notice if SAFE Boats decides to not renew a lease.

The variable terms of the lease extensions could help SAFE Boats scale up or down to meet fluctuating demand for its small military and law enforcement boats.

“It does give us that flexibility in this dynamic business environment we find ourselves in,” Morris said.

As I reported last week, the agreement also gives SAFE Boats a steep discount on rent, to the tune of about $200,000 a year, or 41 percent.

SAFE Boats has leased space at the Port of Bremerton since 2000. The company is manufacturing a line of larger patrol boats at a Port of Tacoma facility.

With its main leases in Bremerton expiring at the end of June, SAFE Boats executives had looked for a way of consolidating operations. A search for suitable industrial space in Kitsap didn’t yield a ready solution

The company had the option of relocating its entire operation to the Port of Tacoma, but finally opted to stay in Bremerton.

With SAFE Boats sticking around, the Port of Bremerton’s industrial buildings are are largely full. The port still has a large number of vacant industrial pads it needs to find tenants for.

Commissioners may discuss a plan for creating spec buildings to attract more tenants at their next meeting.

SAFE Boats lease extension documents are embedded below: Continue reading →

Kitsap wages are below state average, above national

Tad Sooter

Kitsap County workers earned nearly $1.50 less an hour than the average Washington worker in 2013.

But they were $1.26 better off than employees across the U.S.

The county also employed a disproportionately high number of marine architects and engineers.

Those were a few takeaways from fresh local wage data released by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics last week. The detailed numbers, available for perusal online, estimate wages across all industries for May of 2013.

According to BLS, the average hourly wage in Kitsap was $23.59. The national average was $22.33. That’s a 6 percent difference.

The state average was $25.04, buoyed by the whopping $27.46 earned by Seattle/Tacoma/Everett workers.

Here’s a look at how Kitsap wages stacked up across the region (you can wave your clicker over any of these charts to see exact numbers):

Create Infographics

Continue reading →

Bremerton to host sustainable shipping symposium

Tad Sooter

Greening up the maritime industry will be the topic of a fall symposium in Bremerton.

The inaugural Blue Green Sustainability Symposium, organized by the American Society of Naval Engineers, is scheduled for Oct. 1-2 at the Kitsap Conference Center.

Here’s the description of the event from the society’s website:

Blue Green 2014 focuses on energy efficiency, reductions in discharges and emissions, and environmental safeguards for port facilities and ships at sea.

Blue Green 2014 will attract prominent guest speakers, panelists, and paper presentations from industry, academia, Navy, Coast Guard, and government officials.

Join us for an extraordinary opportunity to interact with government policy makers, ship operators, repair and maintenance professionals, ship designers, builders, engineers, program managers, life-cycle engineers, suppliers, and other technical experts.

The society is accepting technical paper abstracts through May 8.

Report highlights Kitsap maritime industry

Tad Sooter

Puget Sound employs three times more people in maritime trades than the national average.

That’s one headline from a maritime industry impact report recently released by the Puget Sound Regional Council. The concentration of marine jobs is no surprise for our watery corner of the world, particularly in Kitsap, where a naval base and shipyard rank as top employers.

But while the importance of the industry may be well known, the supporting data used in the 83-page report is enlightening.

The study examines the regional economic impact of the industry, the performance of various sectors over time, and the potential for growth. Here are some highlights:

The maritime industry employed 57,700 people in Washington in 2012. Another 90,000 people were indirectly employed in related fields.
Maritime businesses grossed $25.2 billion in 2012, and paid $4.1 billion in wages.
Maritime jobs are concentrated in central Puget Sound, with 41 percent in King County and 24 percent in Kitsap.
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility employed 11,288 civilians in September 2013, accounting for the vast majority of maritime employment in Kitsap.
PSNS awards about $200 million annually in contracts for work completed in Washington. (It just awarded Vigor Shipyards a $33 million contract for upgrades to a destroyer)
Bremerton’s SAFE Boats International (pictured at top) employs 350 floor workers and about 30 in engineering.
Maritime jobs are good paying jobs, averaging about $70,000 a year (before benefits), and closer to $80,000 for federal employees.

The report didn’t embed well, but you can give it a read or download it here. Continue reading →