On Friday 21st September, 2018 2 Georgian Coast Guard Patrol Craft were photographed from the Air by MALTA SHIP PHOTOS while they were being transported as a deck cargo aboard the vessel SLNC YORK from USA to Poti, Georgia.
In October 2014 the United States Coast Guard Island Class Cutters WPB 1340 JEFFERSON ISLAND and WPB 1345 STATEN ISLAND were decommissioned. On Friday 30th September, 2016 USCG transferred the former cutters to the Georgian coast guard in a ceremony at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland, USA. The event marks the Office of International Acquisition’s first transfer of 110-foot patrol boats to a friendly nation through the Excess Defense Articles program.
After completing maintenance, upgrades, outfitting and training of Georgian coast guard crews in the Baltimore area with the USCG Coast providing new equipment and technical and training services worth $5.3 million under a Foreign Military Sales letter of offer and acceptance with Georgia.
Upon completion of loading etc, vessel SLNC YORK started her voyage with the Coast Guard Units bound to Georgia. She is the last of 13 similar vessels built by the Hegemann Group at their shipyards in Berne and Wolgast for Scanscot Shipping between 1996 and 2010.
The series started with SCAN POLARIS (4 units at 5,100 tdw, 2100t cranes), continued with 7 units of a larger version (7,300 tdw, 2100/150/240t cranes) and culminated in two units of 9,500 tdw fitted with two 350t cranes. SLNC YORK started her career as SCAN ESPANA in 2010 but when Scanscot went into receivership she came into the Harren & Partner fleet as EIT PALOMA in 2011.
In 2018 she was purchased by a US based company and renamed SLNC YORK.
USCG STATEN ISLAND WPB 1345 was renamed DIOSKURIA P 25.
USCG WPB 1340 JEFFERSON ISLAND was renamed OCHAMCHIRE P 23.
Watermarked Photos are by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Friday 14th August, 2020