Stabicraft supplies nine boats to US Government

New Zealand’s Stabicraft Marine has been commissioned by the US Government to supply nine custom 659 Wheel House aluminium vessels to Alaska, where they will be used as observation boats to monitor the gill net fishery’s interaction with sea mammals and birds. 

The order followed a special request from Saltwater Inc, a private organisation that collects data on wildlife and fish stocks on behalf of the Alaskan Department of Fish and Game and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

"Saltwater Inc, located in Anchorage, Alaska, has ordered the vessels as part of a US Federal Government contract with national marine fisheries,” said Stabicraft’s marine managing director, Paul Adams.

“It will last for the next two summers and will be located in the Petersburg-Wrangell area of southeast Alaska,” he said.

Stabicraft says it came under intense scrutiny as a non-American company, and the vessels had to meet stringent US criteria assessed by an independent marine surveyor.

The vessels will be used in a variety of roles, mainly based around rivers and estuaries, as well as offshore work.

Visit www.stabicraft.com for more info.