The following is the text of a news release from SAFE Boats International:
(BREMERTON, Wash.) — SAFE Boats International, a manufacturer of high-performance aluminum boats, has been selected by the Colombian Navy/Coast Guard to build its new Type-F riverine interceptor vessel. The contract will provide the Colombian Navy/Coast Guard with a state-of-the-art, shallow draft, aluminum high-speed intercept vessel designed to provide tactical mobility and support in opposed riverine and littoral environments. 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.
The SAFE Boats International design has twin Yamaha outboard engines, a tropical climate retractable canopy, forward and aft machine-gun mount foundations and 10-person seating capacity, which includes shock-mitigating seats by SHOXS for five crew. The Type-F riverine interceptor is air deployable by fixed wing, rotary wing and commercial mover. With a maximum speed of 37-plus knots and 200-nm range, the Type-F riverine interceptor has significant capabilities in shallow-water environments.
“We and our partners SHOXS Seats, Furuno Electronics, Yamaha Motors and Boat Master Trailers are grateful to be selected and entrusted with this program by the Colombian Navy/Coast Guard," said John Hotz, director of sales for Latin America and the Caribbean. “The Colombian Coast Guard currently has 20 SAFE Boats in service. 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.”
With the recent award of the Colombian Type-F riverine interceptor program, SAFE Boats International is now the boat of choice in three major Colombian Navy/Coast Guard programs including the new Type-F (30-foot riverine interceptor), the Type-B (41-foot high-speed open coastal interceptor vessel) and the Type-C (38-foot coastal cabin patrol boat).
