Ocean Craft Marine delivers dual-role RHIB to Hopewell Fire & EMS
by Ocean Craft Marine 14 Oct 02:24 PDT
Ocean Craft Marine delivers dual-role RHIB to Hopewell Fire & EMS © Ocean Craft Marine
The vessel serves a dual role: fire and rescue operations for the fire department, and patrol, boarding, and port security missions for the Hopewell Police Department.
The boat will also operate as a designated asset of the Maritime Incident Response Team (MIRT) for the Port of Virginia. It adds fire suppression, search and rescue, dive support, and waterborne law enforcement capability to the regional team that protects one of the largest commercial ports on the U.S. East Coast.
Built to OCM's Fire/SAR configuration, the vessel answers one operational requirement: a single platform that can run a fire attack on one call and a law enforcement or security patrol on the next. It must do both in the currents, weather, and heavy commercial traffic of the James River.
"Fire and search and rescue is the primary mission of this boat, and that is where we started," said David Haines, Sales Manager, Americas, Ocean Craft Marine. "From there, we built in what the crew needs to move into a law enforcement role at a moment's notice."
For the fire mission, a Darley HGE37V pump with through-hull intake feeds a Task Force Tips monitor. Deck tracks on the foredeck accept a portable pump, and dedicated storage holds 200 feet of 1.88-inch hose. Twin Yamaha F300 outboards (600 hp combined) with Helm Master EX joystick control and autopilot let the crew hold station precisely alongside a vessel or pier.
For law enforcement, the boat carries a Whelen siren and PA system with an integrated signal horn, a dual-mode red/blue LED light bar, and a remote-controlled ACR RCL-95 searchlight for night search and boarding operations.
Crews ride on Ullman Dynamics suspension seating under a heavy-duty aluminum T-top, with a hinged folding mast for trailering clearance. The 1670 dtex hybrid-foam tubes include a triple Sharks-Tooth rub strake and port and starboard dive notches for over-the-side recovery and dive operations.
OCM delivered the vessel turnkey, with COLREGS-compliant navigation lights, a full navigation and life safety outfit, 180 gallons of fuel in dual tanks with independent filtration, and a Float-On all-aluminum triple-axle trailer. With the trailer, Hopewell can launch at the point of incident, not only from its home berth.
After delivery, OCM will back the department directly from the factory, with technical support, parts, and maintenance guidance for the full operational life of the vessel.