New Defiant-class patrol boat for Puerto Rico police

Metal Shark has delivered a 10.6-metre, Defiant-class, welded aluminium vessel to the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD).

Already used in ongoing hurricane recovery efforts, the new law enforcement patrol boat built at Metal Shark’s Louisiana facility joins a fleet of 11-metre, Fearless-class centre console boats delivered in 2017.

Featuring a climate-controlled pilothouse for all-weather operation, it is fitted with Shockwave shock-mitigating seating for a crew of four.

Three Mercury 225kW Verado four-stroke outboard engines propel the vessel to speeds of more than 45 knots.

A urethane-sheathed, closed-cell-foam collar provides protection during docking, boarding, or other alongside manoeuvres, while port and starboard dive reliefs facilitate water access.

“They are operated in open-ocean conditions, around the clock, for up to 3,000 hours per year, so safety and reliability are crucial,” said Metal Shark’s Vice President of International Business Development Henry Irizarry.

The vessels are operated by the PRPD’s Fuerzas Unidas de Rapida Accion (FURA), which works with US federal law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security.