DeJong & Lebet designing new Mississippi riverboat

Naval architects and marine engineers DeJong & Lebet, Inc., Jacksonville, FL, have been contracted by the New Orleans Steamboat Co., owners of the Natchez, to design a new 600-passenger riverboat for Mississippi River operation.

DeJong & Lebet’s Andy Lebet tells Marine Log that the new river steamer will be a traditional powered vessel, with Tier 3 engines, props and built to U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter K requirements. In keeping with the New Orleans Steamboat Co.’s aim of offering top-notch cuisine and excellent customer service, the riverboat will be outfitted with a full galley and dining rooms on three decks, with two dumb waiters and a passenger elevator.

Right now, New Orleans Steamboat Co., has requested pricing from shipyards on building the vessel. According to New Orleans Steamboat Co. spokesperson Adrienne Thomas, those bids are expected to be in in January. Thomas says the new vessel would be delivered in the second quarter of 2017.

Meanwhile, Lebet says his company has been busy, with work on three Circle Line Sightseeing ferries being built at Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in Somerset, MA, and the design of a 400-passenger, Subchapter K vessel for Winston Knauss of Sir Winston Yachts. Lebet says that the new boat will be the 16th that DeJong & Lebet has worked on with Sir Winston Yachts. Many of the vessels are working in cities around the U.S.

 

 

Blount Boats building Chicago tour boat

DECEMBER 14, 2016—This past summer, Blount Boats, Inc., Warren, RI, signed a contract to build a 100 ft x 35 ft steel passenger tour boat for Shoreline Sightseeing Co., Chicago, IL.  The

Germany’s first LNG fueled newbuild makes maiden voyage

DECEMBER 14, 2014 — Helgoland, Germany’s first newbuild LNG fueled seagoing vessel was christened and made its maiden voyage December 11. Built by the Fr. Fassmer shipyard, the 83 m x 12.6

New Lake Constance ferry to have MTU gas engines

 

 

The intention is to have the new member of the fleet operated by the public utility running on gas between the two Lake Constance (the Bodensee) towns of Konstanz and Meersburg in 2019.

The new ferry will be one of the first in Europe to be powered by a high-speed pure-gas engine. It will feature low pollutant emissions and improved cost effectiveness, while delivering the accustomed high performance.

MTU is to develop the new 8-cylinder gas engine with a rated output of 750 kW based on the proven MTU Series 4000 diesel engines for workboats. The clean combustion concept will make it possible to meet IMO Tier III emission standards without the need for additional exhaust aftertreatment. By comparison with a diesel engine without exhaust aftertreatment, the gas engine will emit no soot particles and no sulfur oxides, 90 percent less NOx and 10 percent less greenhouse gas.

The new 8V 4000 gas engine will incorporate gas injection for individual cylinders, a dynamic engine control system and a safety concept optimized for natural gas operation.

The new gas engine series is being developed to ensure that it meets the particular load profile of the Lake Constance ferries, with acceleration comparable to that of the MTU diesel engines.In the development of the 8V 4000 engine, MTU benefits from its previous experience in stationary gas engines and from development work now being carried out for a 16-cylinder marine gas engine, which is currently underway and has just completed initial tests on the test bench. The first pre-series engines will power a tugboat in 2017, which is currently being built by Damen shipyards for Svitzer.

The MTU brand is part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems within the Land & Sea division of Rolls-Royce.

The Rolls-Royce Group, of which Rolls-Royce Power Systems is a member, has almost ten years’ experience in delivering medium-speed, pure-gas propulsion systems to power ferries.

“We are delighted that MTU, our partner of many years standing, is developing a natural gas propulsion system for our new ferry,” said Dr. Norbert Reuter, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Konstanz GmbH. “The deciding factors for us to venture into a new world of propulsion for our fleet are the excellent environmental compatibility of the gas engines and the possibility of saving fuel costs, while maintaining our current requirements in terms of the performance and maneuverability of the vessel. As a ferry operator on Lake Constance, Europe’s largest reservoir of drinking water, it is very important for us to guarantee safe and environmentally sound operations.”

“We are convinced that gas engines will become increasingly important as supplements to tried and tested diesel engines for shipping,” said Marcus A. Wassenberg, Chief Financial Officer at Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG. “Natural gas is an important fuel for the future. It will be available for a longer period of time and is cheaper in many regions throughout the world, in addition to having a far better carbon footprint than either heavy oil or diesel. With the development of the new gas engine and its trials in the ferry operated by Stadtwerke Konstanz, we are taking up the challenge of further improving the emissions and efficiency levels of gas engines, in order to be able to meet future emission regulations and the needs of our customers. The development of gas engine technology and the associated fuel infrastructure will also require state funding until they become economically viable.”

Great Lakes Shipyard to drydock, repower ferry

DECEMBER 9, 2015 – Put-in-Bay, OH, headquartered Miller Boat Line has awarded Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, OH, an order to complete the five-year USCG inspection of its ferry William Market along with

MAN engines to power Mols-Linien superferry

In total, four 20V28/33D STC engines, each delivering 9,100 kW, will drive the four waterjets that will power the 109-m, wave-piercer.

“This is an important order for us and a welcome addition to our existing references in the high-speed ferry segment,” said Lex Nijsen – Head of Four-Stroke Marine – MAN Diesel & Turbo. “It is a technically-enhanced, repeat order with our newest, state-of-the-art engine; a success that builds on our ability to deliver engines with unrivlled fuel consumption in their class within a tight, customer-defined schedule. Importantly, it also builds on our existing good relationships with both Incat and Mols-Linien.”

Engine delivery is due over two shipments in September and October, 2016.

KatExpress 3, which is scheduled for completion by March 2017, will have 1,000 tonnes deadweight, with seating capacity for 1,000 persons and up to 411 car spaces, or a combination of cars, trucks and other vehicles.

The newbuilding’s near-sisterships KatExpress 1 and KatExpress 2 are both currently in service for Mols-Linien and were also built by Incat.

The MAN 28/33D STC is a compact, powerful engine with a high power-to-weight ratio. It is fully compliant with current environmental standards and employs an advanced SaCoSone engine-control system. The engine has been installed in several ferry applications and is also regularly employed by naval segments.

Characteristics of the engine include:

Glosten, Vigor use Cadmatic for Alaska Class Ferry design

The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) has awarded the Alaska Class Ferry project to Vigor Alaska shipyard in Ketchikan, AK, where construction is currently underway.

The two day boat ferries will be 280-feet long, seat up to 300 passengers and carry 53 standard vehicles. Each ferry will feature bow and stern doors for quicker loading and unloading, fully enclosed car decks and controllable pitch propellers to maximize maneuverability and efficiency.

Seattle, WA, based naval architecture and marine engineering consultancy Glosten is providing production design for the ferry.

Vigor Alaska and Glosten are two of Cadmatic’s newest U.S. customers and Cadmatic says the production design of the Alaska Class Ferry is the premiere application of Cadmatic software in the northern U.S.

Glosten will deliver its design in the imperial unit versions of both Cadmatic Hull and Outfitting.

“Our team is excited to work not only with Vigor Alaska and Cadmatic – but also with exceptional, leading edge modeling tools,” says Ken Lane, Director of Production Services at Glosten. “It’s a terrific opportunity for all of our designers.”

Alan Coffin, Senior Project Manager at Vigor, says Cadmatic “has offered a unique opportunity to evaluate a world-class software platform. By opening the doors to new technologies, we anticipate improved efficiencies and advancement of our shipbuilding capabilities.”

The first U.S. customer to use the full design and production package of Cadmatic software was Edison Chouest Offshore’s North American Shipbuilding in 2013. Since then, other North American companies to joined the Cadmatic include Glosten, Vigor Fab, Genoa Design International, and VT Halter Marine.

MOL subsidiary orders two ROpax ferries

NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) reports that group company Ferry Sunflower Limited is moving ahead with plans to construct two large-scale ROpax (roll-on/roll-off passenger) ferries. The newbuilding

What’s the best way to state the size of a ROPAX?

NOVEMBER 13, 2015 — What’s the best way of stating the size and capacity of ROPAX (roll-on/roll-off passenger) vessels? Deadweight? Passenger capacity? Vehicle lane meters? The question has been made more relevant

Neptun Werft to build double ender for repeat customer

Neptun Werft delivered the operator’s current flagship, Schleswig- Holstein, in 2011.The newly contracted vessel is due for delivery in February 2018. The contract price has not been disclosed.

“Neptun has provided us with an attractive offer and thus succeeded to compete against a number of other reputable German and European yards,” said WDR Managing Director Axel Meynköhn.

The newbuilding will replace the 1992-built conventional ferry Rungholt, which will be offered for sale.

S 578, as the project is currently designated, will be a near sister to the 2011-built Schleswig-Holstein and the series prototype, Uthlande, which was delivered by Sietas Werft in 2010.

Based on extensive research and external scientific consultation, WDR has again opted for a diesel-mechanic propulsion driving four Voith-Schneider propellers.

With identical main dimensions to Schleswig-Holstein (75.88 m long x 16.40 m wide), S 578 will also have the same maximum passenger capacity of 1,200 in day traffic. The car deck has, however, been modified to increase capacity for trucks. It will be the first WDR ferry to accommodate trucks on up to four lanes. With approximately 350 lane meters for private cars and 280 lane meters for cargo, S 578 will have significantly more capacity than the ship it is replacing, the Rungholt.

The inauguration of the new ship will see WDR operate three double-ended ferries on the Föhr-Amrum-Line from spring 2018. The 1995- built conventional ferry Nordfriesland will be retained as a fourth ship to cover seasonal traffic in summer and replacement operations in the off-season.

Neptun Werft Managing Director Manfred Müller-Fahrenholz, says the committed after-sales service provided to the “Schleswig-Holstein” has – along with a competitive offer – helped to win the new contract to Rostock.”With the delivery of S 578,” he says, “WDR will have an extremely young and eco-friendly fleet. In contrast, other European domestic operators are yet facing the replacement of their current short-distance ferries. We aim to contribute to this process and hope to support also other operators in bringing their fleet up to latest technical and environmental standards.

WDR’s newest ferry has, like the Schleswig-Holstein, been designed according to the strict requirements of the German eco-standards RAL-UZ 141 and RAL-UZ 110, which formulate the standards for the German Blauer Engel (Blue Angel) ecolabel in the categories of Environmentally Friendly Ship Design as well as Environmentally Friendly Ship Operation.

 

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