Former Oil Spill Response Vessel Delivered to Sandy Hook Pilots After Conversion

A former oil spill response vessel (OSRV) has been converted to a pilot station vessel and redelivered to the New York & New Jersey Sandy Hook Pilots Association.

The newly renamed P/B New York was converted by Feeney Shipyard of Kingston, New York with design and engineering provided by JMS Naval Architects.

The Sandy Hook Pilots Association operates a 24/7/365 pilot operation at “Pilot Station at Ambrose,” located over 25 nautical miles East of the entrance of New York Harbor. When the 208-foot OSRV Maine Responder became available for purchase from Marine Spill Response Corp. (MSRC), the Sandy Hook Pilots Association jumped on the opportunity for replacing its existing half-century-old P/B New York, one of two pilot station boats in its fleet.

JMS provided marine surveying and naval architecture services prior to purchase, and later developed the conversion concept design and provided engineering support to the shipyard and owner’s representative services, on behalf of Sandy Hook Pilots, during the vessel conversion.

The conversion design included extensive modifications to remove the oil recovery systems, add a large deck house for the pilot berthing, lounge, and mess, and incorporate operational capabilities specific to the pilots’ mission, among other changes. The completed vessel retains its helicopter pad, ABS Classification, and U.S. Coast Guard COI as a Subchapter I vessel.

At 208-feet-long, the new P/B New York is now the largest in the Sandy Hook Pilots fleet.

Updated: November 17, 2023 (Originally published February 14, 2022)

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