DECEMBER 18, 2015 — Shell Trading Rotterdam BV (Shell) has signed a time-charter agreement with Plouvier Transport NV and Intertrans Tankschiffahrt AG for 15 new inland dual-fuel barges, which will predominantly run
The 5,450 dwt chip barge was built as a flat deck barge by West Gulf Marine Works in Galveston, TX in 1988 and brought around to the West Coast by Zidell Marine of Portland, OR. The barge was constructed with ½” plate deck, hull and bottom plate with two longitudinal and six transverse bulkheads forming 21 watertight compartments. In the late 1990s, Dunlap fitted the DT-250 with a 237′ long x 65′ wide steel chip bin. It installed a new wood wear deck in 2014.
Island Tug & Barge is renaming the barge ITB-253 and plans to shorten the present 22′ high bin walls and remove the existing wood wear deck, replacing it with concrete and rebar which will also increase the barge’s existing 1,500 lb/sq.ft deck load.
The barge is classed ABS +A1 Barge, Unrestricted Service through February 2018 and carries an International Load Line Certificate.
Marcon acted as sole broker in the sale and has represented the buyers in dozens of sales and purchases. It has also worked with Dunlap for many years and sold its 3,000 HP tug Suiattle earlier this year.
Marcon has brokered twenty-nine sales and charters to date this year, including seven ocean deck barges totaling 34,964 dwt. Several additional sales are pending.
DECEMBER 4, 2015—Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Freeland, WA, recently completed the 10,000 hp ATB tug M/V Nancy Peterkin, for Kirby Offshore Marine (Kirby), Houston, TX. Designed by Guarino & Cox, New Orleans,
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.
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.
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
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
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
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. “
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