Another Metal Shark Patrol Boat Joins Puerto Rico Police Department Fleet
Louisiana-based boatbuilder Metal Shark, the government/commercial boat entity of Gravois Aluminum Boats LLC, announced on 15 January it has delivered its latest new law enforcement patrol boat to the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD).
The new 35-foot DEFIANT welded aluminum pilothouse patrol vessel, built at Metal Shark’s Jeanerette, Louisiana production facility, joins the fleet of 36ft Metal Shark FEARLESS-class high performance centre console patrol boats delivered to the PRPD a year ago.
The PRPD’s newest Metal Shark features a fully-enclosed, climate-controlled pilothouse for all weather operation, outfitted with Shockwave shock-mitigating seating for a crew of four. Triple Mercury 300HP VERADO four-stroke outboards push the vessel to speeds in excess of 45kt, while offering nimble handling and a smooth dry ride. A Wing urethane-sheathed, closed-cell-foam collar affords maximum impact protection during docking, boarding, or other alongside maneuvers, while port and starboard dive reliefs facilitate water access.
“Metal Shark is honored to support the PRPD with the most advanced, capable, and durable law enforcement boats on the market,” Henry Irizarry, Metal Shark’s Vice President of International Business Development, said during crew familiarity training aboard the new vessel in San Juan last December 2017. “These boats are a vital part of the PRPD’s efforts.They are operated in open-ocean conditions, around the clock, for up to 3,000 hours per year, so safety and reliability are crucial. It’s a testament to the quality of these boats that the PRPD continues to choose Metal Shark for its fleet modernisation efforts.”
The Metal Shark vessels are operated by the PRPD’s Fuerzas Unidas de Rapida Accion (FURA), which is an agency within the PRPD operating specialised divisions relating to and coordinating with US federal law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security.