Tag Archives: safe boats international

SAFE Boats unveils ‘multi-mission’ vessel

SAFE Boats International announced a new model in its lineup of commercially-available”interceptor” vessels.

The Port of Bremerton-based manufacturer unveiled the 35-foot “Multi-Mission Interceptor” Wednesday at the Multi-Agency Craft Conference in Baltimore, according to a news release.

“We are excited to launch the Multi-Mission Interceptor, one of the most versatile and highest performing models in our already great portfolio”, SAFE Boats CEO Dennis Morris said in the release.

The aluminum vessel boasts a maximum speed of more than 55 knots, and is capable of tight maneuvers and open-ocean crossings. A unique mounting system allows the rear deck to be reconfigured quickly.

SAFE Boats recently celebrated a milestone with the completion of its 2,000th hull and the delivery of its first coastal interceptor for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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.

Navy orders more patrol boats from SAFE Boats

Tad Sooter

The U.S. Navy has ordered two more Mk VI patrol boats from SAFE Boats International.

The order represents a $17.8 million modification to an existing contract awarded to SAFE Boats last year for a second installment of Mk VI vessels. All told, SAFE Boats will build 12 of the patrol boats for the Navy.

The aluminum boat builder is manufacturing the 85-foot, jet-powered boats at the Port of Tacoma. SAFE Boats is headquartered in Bremerton and builds smaller vessels at Olympic View Industrial Park.

The award comes on the heals of a $48 million U.S. Customs contract for interceptor vessels announced in early July.

$12 million for Vet Industrial

SAFE Boats isn’t the only Bremerton-based company to land a large defense job this month.

Vet Industrial of Bremerton was awarded a nearly $12 million contract to build a remote switching unit building and associated site work at Gray’s Army Airfield, Joint Base Lewis McChord. The project is expected to be completed by August 2016.

The company, with headquarters on Charleston Beach Road, was one of two to bid. Funding will come from the 2015 fiscal year military construction budget. It’s a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that has been performing general contracting services for federal and state government agencies since 2006.

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(Courtesy photo)

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 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 →

SAFE Boats delivers icebreaker support vessel

Tad Sooter

Bremerton’s SAFE Boats International has produced a new Coast Guard support vessel specifically designed for use in arctic conditions.

The new CB-OTH-IV POLAR was recently delivered to the 420-foot icebreaker USCG Cutter Healy, according to a company news release. The support vessel is a modified version of the 26-foot Cutter Boat-Over The Horizon-IV that SAFE Boats is producing for the Coast Guard on a long-term contract.

The POLAR version features a reinforced hull, SAFE Boat’s collar floatation system, communications equipment, and launch and recovery hardware. The boat is powered by a 480-horsepower engine and water jet drive.

According to the release, the vessel will “support cutter missions in open water and operates as a critical support craft with a mission scope of law enforcement, security, search and rescue, and environmental protection of natural resources.”

“We are very pleased to continue our long history of partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard in providing them a new platform that will allow the women and men serving on forward deployed ice breakers to better accomplish their mission,“ SAFE Boats CEO Dennis Morris said in the release.

The Seattle-based Healy is primarily an arctic research vessel. It carries a 4,200-square-foot laboratory and accommodations for up to 50 scientists. The Healy can break through 4.5 feet of ice at a speed of three knots, according to its official page.

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 →