Rodi Marine's Newest Crewboats Get Waterjets

Louisiana-based Rodi Marine went with something a bit different with their newest crewboat, M/V Riley Claire.

Built by Swiftships in Morgan City, a yard that has historically specialized in the military sector, this 175-foot, DP-2 certified, aluminum-hulled crewboat was outfitted with four MJP 650 CSU waterjets from Marine Jet Power.

During sea trials in June, the M/V Riley Claire reached a top speed of 30.3 knots in lightship condition and 24.0 knots fully laden. The vessel’s waterjets are powered by four Cummins QSK 50 engines each producing 1800HP at 1900RPM and connected through Twin Disc MGX 6848 gearboxes at a 2.03:1 Ratio.

For MJP, the M/V Riley Claire and her sister vessel, which is currently under construction, are the first-ever DP2 vessels outfitted with their waterjets and the first vessels with their waterjets operating in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We are starting to enter the Gulf market. We’ve wanted to be there for a long time,” said Jordan Tilton of Marine Jet Power Inc.

M/V Riley Claire, a USCG Subchapter T and ABS-classed all aluminum fast crew boat is 175’ in length, has a beam of 25’ and a molded depth of 13’6”. She carries a total of 34,500 gallons of diesel and 20,500 gallons of water for operating and an additional 6,700 gallons of diesel and 1,230 gallons of freshwater for the rigs. She is certified to carry 70 passengers and 10 crewmembers.