Christening a new era

Two new pilot boats are replacing their retiring 25-year-old predecessors in what a captain calls ‘a huge deal’

The Houston and Bayou City pilot boats, each about 70 feet long, spent their lives rubbing elbows with behemoths. They encountered rough waters and increasingly large ships. And each day, they were involved in 60 controlled collisions with ships so pilots could guide commerce into the Port of Houston.

But after 25 years, their age is starting to show. They will be retired Saturday as the Houston Pilots christen new boats to fill their wake.

“It’s an investment in our future, in our safety,” said Capt. Robert Shearon, presiding officer for the Houston Pilots. “It’s a huge deal.”

The Houston Pilots spent $31 million on the two Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull boats. These new boats, more commonly referred to as SWATH, will be stationed 5 to 10 miles past the jetties.

The Houston Pilots first began using SWATH boats 25 years ago. Having two hulls, similar to a catamaran, makes the vessels more stable than one-hull boats, which Shearon said were slow and rolled.

Such stability is crucial to the safety of pilots who must transfer from the deck of the pilot boat to a ladder on the side of the ship, where they then climb aboard. Ships cannot enter or leave the port without guidance from a pilot who knows the waterway’s every nook and cranny.

The boats’ additional stability also allows pilots to work through choppy seas or gloomy weather.

“These boats are incredibly stable in rough seas,” Shearon said. “They are a very safe and

efficient platform for our pilots to embark and disembark on ships.”

The boats being christened Saturday are stronger and, at 82 feet long, somewhat larger than the boats they are replacing.

And since pilots sometimes wait hours before boarding a ship, the boats have 10 cabins for napping, a galley and satellite television.

“It has some nice creature comforts,” Shearon said.

Roger Guenther, executive director of Port Houston, praised the Houston Pilots as “an integral part of the efficient movement of trade.”

“We are encouraged and pleased the Houston Pilots organization continuously aims for progress in step with the growth of trade and commerce the Port of Houston is experiencing,” Guenther said in a statement.

The Houston Pilots are looking to sell the old boats, but their heritage won’t be lost completely. The new boats being christened Saturday have taken their names: Houston and Bayou City. andrea.rumbaugh@chron.com twitter.com/andrearumbaugh

Steve Gonzales photos / Houston Chronicle One of the new twin-hull Port of Houston pilot boats has an escort as it heads toward the Gulf of Mexico.

Port captain Donnie Mayville prepares to back the Bayou City pilot boat from a dock in Galveston for the trip back up the Ship Channel.

Steve Gonzales photos / Houston Chronicle The Houston Pilots are christening their two new boats on Saturday. Having two hulls makes the vessels more stable than one-hull boats.

Donnie Mayville docks the new Bayou City pilot boat in Galveston. The Houston Pilots are planning to sell their two old boats.

Pilots sometimes have long waits, so the new boats have satellite television and napping rooms. Capt. Robert Shearon says they have “some nice creature comforts.”