New patrol boats delivered to Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard

Four new high speed patrol boats manufactured by USA-based shipbuilder Metal Shark for the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG) have been commissioned on the island of Curacao.

The new vessels are the first to be delivered to the DCCG under a 12-boat order announced last year.

Designed in-house by Metal Shark and built at the company’s Jeanerette, Louisiana production facility, the welded aluminum, enclosed-pilothouse, 38 Defiant monohull patrol boats are the result of a multi-year effort by the DCCG to procure a replacement for its fleet of open-cockpit RIBs, according to the shipbuilder.

The new vessels will serve as the DCCG’s main interceptors, patrolling the territorial waters of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, and Saba.

Powered by twin Cummins Marine QSB6.7 diesel engines coupled with Konrad 680B counter-rotating dual-prop stern drives, the 38 Defiant reaches top speeds in excess of 45 knots.

As explained, a fully-enclosed pilothouse shields the crew from the elements, while “Pillarless Glass” pilothouse arrangement assures unimpeded visibility, day or night. In addition, specially engineered composite armor panels provide ballistic crew protection from unfriendly fire.

Shockwave Corbin shock-mitigating seating has been provided for a crew of six, and anti-fatigue floor covering has been employed in the pilothouse and the belowdecks crew spaces. For extended patrols at sea, accommodations include an enclosed head compartment, galley, and v-berth.

“Metal Shark collaborated extensively with the Dutch Ministry of Defense as well as the end users in Aruba, Curacao, and St. Maarten to optimize our design to accommodate a very challenging mission set,” Henry Irizarry, Metal Shark’s Vice President of International Business Development, said.

“From adapting a stern drive propulsion system for crew familiarity and fleet commonality, to altering the vessels’ physical dimensions to clear low bridges while preserving pilothouse headroom, all with the demands of high speed, open-ocean operation in mind, these boats have been specifically tailored for the DCCG,” Irizarry added.

“With their fully enclosed pilothouses, shock-mitigating seating, and the durability of welded aluminum construction, these patrol boats represent a significant capabilities upgrade for the DCCG, especially in the rough sea conditions prevalent off the coast of Curacao,” Irizarry further said.