Freeland, Wash.-based Nichols Brothers Boat Builders has
selected Elliott Bay Design Group of Seattle to provide the design and
production engineering for the construction of a new freight and passenger
vessel for American Samoa, an unincorporated territory in the southeast Pacific
Ocean.
The proposed vessel, which is a 140-foot landing craft, is
designed with a beam of 38 feet, depth of 13 feet, and to accommodate up to
eight crewmembers overnight. The boat will be one of a small number available
to transport local residents between the five Samoan islands. Until recently,
most of those vessels served the immediate community, but the new landing
craft, which will be able to carry a total of 149 passengers, will also be
available for tourists.
This is not the first collaboration between the two
Washington companies. Last year, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders contracted EBDG
to complete the production engineering for the 150-foot-long landing craft,
which the yard delivered late last year. The vessel is operated by Bowhead
Transport in Alaska.
“We are very happy to be working with EBDG again on another
landing craft project,” Nichols Brothers CEO Gavin Higgins said.
“We’re excited about this new project and to be working with
(Nichols Brothers) once again,” Mike Complita, EBDG’s Vice President of
Shipyard Services said. “We look forward to making this job a successful one.”
