USCG closes section of Upper Mississippi River
DECEMBER 29, 2015 — The Coast Guard said today that it had closed a portion of the Upper Mississippi River to all vessel traffic from mile markers 184 to 179, due to
DECEMBER 29, 2015 — The Coast Guard said today that it had closed a portion of the Upper Mississippi River to all vessel traffic from mile markers 184 to 179, due to
The barges are being built for Belgium based Plouvier Transport N.V. The hulls are under construction at VEKA Shipbuilding BV’s CENTROMOST shipyard in Poland and outfitting will be carried out at VEKA’s Werkendam shipyard in the Netherlands.
The barges will operate primarily on LNG and, for each barge, Wärtsilä will also supply a 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel main engine, a gearbox, an LNGPac fuel gas handling system (developed in close cooperation with Cryonorm), and a Wärtsilä propeller with an HR nozzle. The equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yards commencing in June 2016.The contract with Wärtsilä was concluded in December.
“Wärtsilä’s total solution capabilities, and its unmatched experience in LNG fuel machinery and systems for marine applications, are providing leading shipowners and operators with the added value they require. We salute everyone involved in this important project for their support in making inland waterway shipping more environmentally sustainable,” says Bram Kruyt, Director Inland Waterways, Wärtsilä.
The vessel, built by Vigor Industrial’s Portland, OR, shipyard, follows towboat Crown Point, which began operations along the Columbia Snake River in May 2015.
Like the Crown Point, the Granite Point is a custom-built, environmentally-friendly towboat that was specifically designed by naval architects and marine engineers CT Marine, Edgecomb, ME, to serve Tidewater’s customers.
“Granite Point performed exactly as we wanted it to during its river trials earlier this month,” says Marc Schwartz, Maintenance & Engineering Manager at Tidewater. “We are ready for the Granite Point to team up with Tidewater’s current fleet of 16 towboats to provide our customers with the highest quality river transportation.”
Named for the granite cliff in Washington, about 20 miles southwest of Pullman along the Snake River, the towboat was built to the same specifications as the Crown Point and forthcoming sister vessel, the Ryan Point.
Measuring 102 ft by 38 ft, with a depth at full load of 11 ft, the Granite Point has a hexagonal wheelhouse with floor-to-ceiling windows on all six sides. The hexagonal design continues to the main deck, which features a galley, a media room, and a health and fitness facility.
“Tidewater understands that the ability of our crew members to cope with operational risk factors, like frequent sleep disruptions and heavy workloads, depends on their level of endurance,” says Bruce Reed, Chief Operations Officer and Vice President of Tidewater. “The responsibility for maintaining a high level of crew endurance rests with us. Therefore, all three towboats incorporate a comprehensive sound and vibration control package designed by Noise Control Engineers of Billerica, Massachusetts. The noise levels register at less than 60 decibels in the quarters during vessel operation, which is equivalent to the sound of an air conditioner.”
“When you are in the wheelhouse, which is three decks above the engines, you would really need to concentrate to hear the engines at all,” says Brian Fletcher, Tidewater Port Captain who piloted the Granite Point through river trials.
“You couldn’t ask for a quieter tug, nor a better tug in tight situations. It turns on a dime.”To meet the challenges of maneuvering barges through swift-moving currents, high winds, and eight navigation locks along the CSR System, CT Marine designed an enhanced steering system utilizing four main steering and four flanking rudders. Coupling the steering system with two Caterpillar 3516C Tier 3 engines, the design team was able to increase the margins of safety and efficiency.
“The Granite Point can ‘get up and go’,” says Josh Nichols, Assistant Port Captain, “but there is an ease and steadiness to it.”
“The up-front work paid off,” says Bob Curcio, Tidewater CEO. “The vessels are fuel-efficient, ecologically-responsible, and are giving our Captains and crews exactly what they’d asked for.”
“We are proud to have worked with Tidewater on Granite Point. Like its sister ship Crown Point, this vessel sets new standards for future towboat design. It will serve our community well for decades to come,” says Corey Yraguen, Vigor Executive VP of Fabrication.
TECHNICAL PARTICULARS
The Granite Point is powered by two Caterpillar 3516C EPA Tier 3 certified diesel engines each producing 2,240 BHP at 1,600 RPM. The engines drive two 92″ x 100″ fixed pitch, stainless steel propellers through CT28 Kort Nozzles. The vessel is capable of a service speed of 8 knots.
Electrical power is provided by two C7.1, Tier 3 generators, rated at 480 V, 200 kW at 1,800 RPM. The generators are controlled through an automatic transfer system that ensures the vessel will recover from a generator power loss in less than 30 seconds.
Deck machinery includes seven Patterson WWP 65E-7.5, 65 ton electric deck winches, with pilot house remote operation and local push button control stations on the main deck. Each winch has Samson 1 3/8″ Turbo 75 Synthetic Line.
To minimize power usage, variable frequency drives were used in all major rotating machinery applications and LED lighting was employed in both interior and exterior lighting applications.
The vessel is fitted with a Kidde NOVEC 1230 fire suppression system. Centralized fire detection and alarms cover both the machinery spaces and accommodations.
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