Shipbuilder Metal Shark is building a welded aluminum 55’ x 17’ pilot boat for the Pascagoula Bar Pilots Association in Mississippi.
Designed in-house, the new 55 Defiant Pilot being built for Pascagoula Pilots represents the latest evolution in Metal Shark’s pilot boat lineup. The distinctive vessel incorporates the“faceted hull” design initially developed by Metal Shark for the US Navy 40 PB program, and features an enhanced version of Metal Shark’s signature “pillarless glass” in a two-tiered, reverse-raked arrangement.
In the pre-dawn hours and many other times of the day, local pilots safely guide cruise ships and cargo ships into BVI ports. The pilots provide local knowledge to the ships' captains to ensure safe arrivals and departures. In order to do this, it requires the pilot to climb from one moving vessel to the other. While this maneuver is taking place, the pilot vessel must maintain speed and stay parallel to the ship, allowing the pilot's safe transfer from one vessel to the other. They make...
