Boston Fire Department to add three new marine vessels, department says investment totals about $12 million

Boston Fire Department leaders told the City Council Committee on Ways and Means on May 13 that the department has procured three new marine vessels and expects staged deliveries and outfit work through the fall.

Kevin Coyne, the department’s deputy commissioner for administration and finance, described the first delivered craft as a 46‑foot custom dive boat that replaced a 30‑foot predecessor and is undergoing training and final outfitting while stored at a rented UMass Boston facility. Coyne said a second 38‑foot boat is expected in July or August and a 69‑foot vessel is slated for delivery in late September or October; the department estimates the total investment for the three boats at about $12,000,000.

Coyne added that the dive boat replaces a vessel named for Captain John Kenny, a former member of the department’s dive team, and that the new vessels reflect updated marine firefighting and rescue capabilities. Councilors asked how staffing and maintenance would scale with the new fleet; department leaders said they are proposing a marine engineer position to maintain the more complex vessels alongside existing maintenance staff.

The committee did not take formal action; the line items for marine unit purchasing were presented as part of the FY26 lease‑purchase and capital planning discussion.