The PEV is designed to provide escorts for up to 20 ships
Trawlercat Marine Designs of New Westminster, British Columbia, is seeking joint venture partners to join in building the first purpose-designed anti-piracy personal escort vessel (PEV).
The PEV is designed to provide escorts for up to 20 ships proceeding in a convoy. Trawlercat envisages two models. The first type, the Visual Enforcer, comes in bright yellow or safety orange to ensure ‘would-be pirates’ see them and stay well away from any ship or ships they’re escorting. The second model, the Stealth Interceptor, is in a navy grey ‘stealth’ colour to surprise would-be pirates.
Trawlercat president and lead designer Captain Graham Pfister believes twenty-ship convoys escorted by five PEVs would be more economical than having four armed security personal on each ship. Five PEVs wouold require only thirty crew to guard twenty ships, compared with eighty for individually guarded ships. The cost per ship in convoys of up to twenty ships would be a lot less for each ship and five PEVs would provide better coverage due to the high speed and manoeuvrability of the armed and armoured, 20-metre catamarans.
Having made several day and night “convoys” through the Suez Canal himself Captain Pfister is sure that twenty-ship convoys are definitely achievable. The ships would assemble at a rendezvous point in a safe area where they would be met by the PEV Convoy Coordinator, who would form them into three columns and surround them with the five PEVs who would escort them through trouble areas.
“Since promoting the PEVs to several UK maritime security companies we have received requests for quotes and as this is such an urgent project we need to have the vessels built as quickly as possible, which is why we are looking for joint venture partners”, said Captain Pfister. “Plus we have always intended to offer the 20m as an Offshore Wind Farm Crew Transfer Cat.”
Source: Trawlercat Marine Designs
