Harley Marine opts for tug-specific Cat package

They will power two new harbor tugs currently under construction at Diversified Marine Inc.’s Portland, OR, shipyard.

“Much of Harley Marine’s fleet is powered by Cat engines, and with the construction of these two new vessels, they’re adding our tug-specific propulsion solution as well,” said Emil Cerdier, sales manager for Cat Propulsion. “Getting a complete package from one supplier simplifies the design,installation, and service support, allowing Harley to rely on the Cat dealer network as a single point of contact for the entire powertrain system.”

Each Harley Marine harbor tug will feature a pair of 3516 engines, each delivering 2575 hp(1920 kW) @ 1600 rpm and two MTA 524-T thrusters with a 95.5″ inch (2,400mm) propeller diameter.

The MTA 524-T is a new version of a proven design, specifically optimized for the operation profile of a tug. Based on the standard MTA design, the “Tug” rated drives include features to maximize bollard pull, simplify installation and maintenance, and increase maneuverability.

The Harley Marine units will be delivered with custom-made fixed-pitch propellers and a PTO-powered steering and lubrication system.
Cat Propulsion’s complete package for tugs includes engines, high-speed shafting, clutches, and controls. The display consoles for the control system willalso control engine and thruster functionality.

“Our MTA-T units bring the twin advantages of performance excellence and economy to the tug market,” Mr. Cerdier said. “Customers like Harley Marine will benefit both in terms of bollard pull and from the reliability of a consolidated control-engine-thruster package with component parts optimized to work together.”

Cat dealer Peterson Power led the efforts on the project, helping refine the spec and eventually supporting the installation and service of the systems.

As part of the total Cat Solution, Cat Financial is providing complete vessel financing throughout the construction and term of both tugs.

The Cat engines and thrusters are expected to deliver in mid-2016, with vessel deliveries in early 2017.

Great Lakes Shipyard to build two Damen Stan Tugs

Under the license, signed at this week’s Workboat Show, Great Lakes Shipyard will receive full construction, design and engineering support from Damen, which will also provide expert assistance based on it experience with construction of nearly two hundred Damen designed vessels of other types in the U.S. over the years.

The Stan Tugs 1907 were chosen based on Damen’s reputation for quality and following fact-finding visits made by the management of the Great Lakes Towing Company to Damen in the Netherlands that demonstrated that the Stan Tug 1907 exactly matched the Towing Company’s needs.

In addition to the Ice Class specification, the tugs will also be treated with special, high endurance paint capable of withstanding the abrasion that comes with moving through ice.

The partnership with Damen provides Great Lakes Shipyard with a portfolio of proven vessel designs for U.S. customers. Most of the designs have been refined through the progression of multiple builds.

Damen vessels built under license in the U.S. since the mid-1990s include 55 Fast Crew Supplier 1204 class, built at Horizon Boat Builders and Trinity Shipyard, 25 Fast Crew Supplier 1605 class vessels built by Blount Boats and eighty 26-m patrol boats for the U.S. Coast Guard, built by Bollinger Shipyards which is also the builder of the Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (based on Damen’s 47 m Stan Patrol 4708) for which 58 licenses have been sold.

Blessey Marine adds new 1,320 hp towboat

DECEMBER 3, 2015—Privately held Blessey Marine, Harahan, LA, moves liquid bulk cargoes on the U.S. inland waterways using a fleet of 10,000 to 30,000 double-hull tank barges. It transports everything from residual

Sanmar and Rolls-Royce sign LOI for supply of MTU engines

DECEMBER 2, 2015  – Rolls-Royce and Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar Shipyards have signed a letter of intent for the supply of MTU engines. The Class RAstar 2800-E Azimuth Stern Drive tugs currently being

Astilleros Zamakona building series of Voith Water Tractors

DECEMBER 2, 2015—Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Zamakona is currently building two 80-ton bollard pull Voith Water Tractors that are based on a design by Canadian naval architectural firm Robert Allan Ltd. The tugs

Rhine vessel results confirm effectivess of Flex tunnel

Tunnels ensure optimal water flow to the propellers at shallow drafts, but the downside of conventional tunnels is an increase in hull resistance, lower efficiency and increased fuel consumption.

Inland vessels are loaded, and therefore sail in deeper water conditions, for about 85 percent of the time, during which a tunnel is superfluous. The Flex tunnel is deployed when sailing in shallow waters to ensure sufficient water flow to the propellers and maintain their efficiency.

The first Flex tunnel installation is in the push-barge combination Rhenus Duisburg, developed by DST (Development Center for Ship Technology and Transport Systems) for Rhenus PartnerShip.

The vessel carries coal from Rotterdam to Lünen, Germany. The vessel not only has to sail with a barge linked in front, but also often has to convey two additional barges attached alongside during its passage along the Rhine.

The entire convoy makes a laden outward journey and then proceeds unladen along the Wesel-Datteln Canal. A sailing profile which is applied both while loaded and unloaded with ballast, and in deep and shallow water.The Van der Velden FlexTunnel has proven its functionality with this sailing profile.

Measurements were taken both during a trial voyage and in regular service. The vessel sailed in a range of circumstances, both loaded and unloaded, and at various speeds.

“The functionality was subjected to extensive trials at all speeds, and the measurements taken invariably remained within the design margins, which implies that there are no restrictions on the use of Van der Velden Flex tunnels at any speed whatsoever,” says Van der Velden. “As expected, the results confirm that extremely high vacuum levels are achieved with a deployed tunnel, which implies that the Van der Velden Flex tunnel is ideally suited for use with unladen vessels. The airtight seals on the thrusters and the hull ensure that there is sufficient water surrounding the propellers, thus avoiding any loss of output due to propellers breaching the surface of the water.”

The Flex tunnel enables the fitting of large, 2,000 mm propellers, improving propulsion and reducing fuel consumption as a direct result.

The initial findings, based on analysis of the measured data and comparison with vessels with conventional tunnels, suggest that the Rhenus Duisburg achieved around 27% lower energy consumption.

This high output is linked to application of the Van der Velden Flex tunnel, which in turn enables optimum stern design for the vessel’s operating area.

DST not only designed the underwater hull, but also subjected it to extensive tests. The model test reports predicted the actual circumstances almost exactly, which underscores the quality of the development institute’s model tests.

Van der Velden Marine Systems had initially expressed a cautious estimate of energy savings between 10 and 20%, but says the provisional results “actually proved surprisingly high. “

Rhenus Duisburg FLEX Tunnel 3 posities

Shearer Group to support LNG towboat conversion

NOVEMBER 22, 2015—Naval architectural and marine engineering firm The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI), Seabrook, TX, will join with Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities (PRCC) and Clean Fuels Clean Rivers (CFCR) to conduct a

Rolls-Royce wins thruster order from Turkish tug builder

NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — Rolls-Royce has signed a contract for the delivery of 12 azimuthing thrusters to Sanmar Shipyard in Turkey during 2016, with an option for an additional 30 units. The

Chesapeake Shipbuilding to build three more tugs for Vane

They will be the 15th, 16th and 17th tugboats built for Vane Brothers by Chesapeake Shipbuilding since 2008.

Construction on the first new tug has already begun in one of Chesapeake Shipbuilding’s hull fabrication buildings.

The design of the new tugboats will be nearly identical to previous tugboats built for Vane Brothers. Each will be equipped with twin Caterpillar 3512 main engines, producing a combined 3,000 horsepower, and will have a single drum hydraulic winch from JonRie of New Jersey.

The tugs will measure 94′ long with a 32′ beam, and a 13′ depth.

All Chesapeake Shipbuilding tugs are built in a controlled indoor environment prior to being moved and launched into Maryland’s Wicomico River.

Chesapeake Shipbuilding has recently made significant upgrades to its shipyard to increase its production capacity and efficiency, including acquiring additional land, building two new hull fabrication buildings and investing in additional automated equipment.
The yard is located on 14 acres of level land, with more than 2,400 ft of deepwater bulkhead, along the protected waters of the Wicomico River. It has two large outfitting basins, three side launch systems, plus a ground transfer system and various hull fabrication buildings and shops.

ACL completes acquisition of AEP River Operations

ACL purchased all the stock of AEP Resources, the parent company of AEP River Operations.

AEP, which acquired the business, formerly known as MEMCO, in 2001, netted approximately $400 million in cash after taxes, debt retirement and transaction fees.

AEP River Operations is a commercial inland barge company delivering about 45 million tons of products annually, including 10 million tons of coal. It has 56 towboats, 2,301 barges and 1,090 employees. The company is based in Chesterfield, MO, with operations in Paducah, KY, and Convent, Algiers and Belle Chasse, LA.

AEP is retaining ownership of its captive barge fleet. It has 12 towboats, 498 barges and 229 employees and delivers about 19 million tons of coal annually to AEP’s regulated coal-fueled power plants owned by Appalachian Power, Kentucky Power and Indiana Michigan Power.

AEP has signed a contract with ACL to dispatch and operate AEP’s captive barge fleet through the end of 2016.

ACL, a portfolio company of Platinum Equity, has a fleet of approximately 2,000 barges and over 115 towboats. It is one of America’s largest liquid cargo and dry cargo barge lines. Its operating companies use the American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) name.

Its top leaders are hardly strangers to AEP River Operations.

ACL President and CEO Mark Knoy ran AEP River Operations for a decade before joining ACL in 2011. Paul Tobin, ACL’s Chief Operating Officer, and Robert Blocker, ACL’s head of sales and customer service, also spent 10 years at AEP River Operations before joining ACL in 2011 along with Knoy. All three were previously at the company in its MEMCO Barge Line days.

“I have a great deal of respect for AEP River Operations, I know the business very well, and I’m excited about what we will achieve together,” said Mark Knoy. “These are two highly complementary businesses, each with its own strengths, yet unified in their commitment to safety and customer service. This is an exciting day for our employees, our customers and for the future of our company.”

“Mark and his team know both businesses first-hand and are uniquely equipped to bring them together and maximize the potential of the combined enterprise,” said Platinum Equity Partner Louis Samson. “With the additional operational support Platinum Equity provides, they are moving quickly to create substantial value.”

Bank of America Merrill Lynch advised ACL and led the transaction financing. Latham & Watkins served as legal counsel to ACL.

In a letter addressed to AEP River Operations customers today, ACL head of sales and customer service Robert Blocker wrote, “AEP River Operations LLC will join the ACBL group of companies and will continue to operate as ACBL River Operations LLC. Over the next several months, we will likely be transitioning much of the business into the ACBL operating structure, but we are going to do that in an orderly fashion to be sure we maintain a level of service that reflects the ACBL standards.”

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