VIDEO: Crowley’s LNG fueled ConRo now 25% complete

 

First steel for the ship was cut in October 2014 and it is now 25 percent complete.

“Week by week, we have watched the pair of Commitment Class ships begin to take shape,” said John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico/Caribbean liner services. “It’s been incredible to watch. Once fully constructed, these new vessels will embody superior technology and construction and, while we are anxious to get them into service for our partners in Puerto Rico, we are thrilled that they are coming together on schedule.”

“The entire team at VT Halter Marine is pleased and proud to be partnered with Crowley in the construction of these magnificent ships,” said VT Halter Marine President and CEO Jack Prendergast. “It is a pleasure to see the hard work of the Crowley/Halter team come to fruition.”

The ships will be 219.5 meters long, 32.3 meters wide (beam), have a deep draft of 10 meters, and an approximate deadweight capacity of 26,500 metric tons.Cargo capacity will be approximately 2,400 TEUs (20-foot-equivalent-units), with additional space for nearly 400 vehicles in an enclosed Roll-on/Roll-off garage.

Each ship will be powered by an MAN B&W 8S70ME-GI8.2 main engine and three MAN 9L28/32DF auxiliary engines fueled by LNG.

The ship design is provided by Wärtsilä Ship Design in conjunction with Crowley subsidiary Jensen Maritime, a leading Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm.

The Commitment Class, Jones Act ships will replace Crowley’s towed triple-deck barge fleet, which has served the trade continuously and with distinction since the early 1970s. These new ships will offer customers fast ocean transit times, while accommodating the company’s diverse equipment selection and cargo handling flexibility. El Coquí and Taíno are scheduled for delivery second and fourth quarter 2017 respectively.

Designing, building and operating LNG-powered vessels is in line with Crowley’s overall EcoStewardship positioning and growth strategy. The company formed an LNG services group earlier this year to bring together the company’s extensive resources to provide LNG vessel design and construction management; transportation; product sales and distribution, and full-scale, project management solutions.

Blount delivers double hull bunkering tanker

The Chandra B is named after one of owner Stephen Bragoli’s daughters and, as we reported earlier, was launched from the shipbuilder’s newly refurbished production hall using its lift dock.

Designed by Farrell & Norton Architects, the vessel has been built to USCG Subchapter D specifications and will operate in New York Harbor and New Jersey.

Main propulsion power is provided by twin Tier III Cummins Model QSL9, six-cylinder diesel engines. Each is rated at 330 hp at 1,800 rpm and each drives a 48 inch diameter, 54 inch pitch, four bladed propeller from HS Marine Propulsion viah ZF Model W325 marine hydraulic gears with a 4.91:1 reduction ratio The vessel is also equipped with a 50 hp Wesmar hydraulic bow thruster. 

Access vessel particulars and equipment list HERE

Electric Boat gets $321.7 million Navy award

The efforts provide for drawings and related technical data; design change documentation; logistics technical data; configuration management; hull, mechanical and electrical engineering; submarine safety design review; non-propulsion plant electrical system engineering; propulsion plant engineering; maintenance engineering; refit/availability technical support; on-site support; configuration change program design and installation support; configuration change program material support; submarine technical trade support; training and facility support; research and development program support; research and development submarine/submersibles support; miscellaneous special studies; temporary alteration support; modernization of submarine/submersible systems and subsystems; and affordability/cost reduction technical support.

Work will be performed in Groton, (73 percent); Bangor, WA (9 percent); Norfolk, VA (6 percent); Newport, RI (4 percent); Quonset, RI (3 percent); Kings Bay, GA (3 percent); and Pearl Harbor, HI (2 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2017. Fiscal 2015 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $300,000 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year.

The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Jobs ax swings at Newport News Shipbuilding

“There’s no good way to do this,” the Virginian-Pilot reports Newport News Shipbuilding President Matt Mulherin as saying, adding that the swiftness of laid-off workers’ departures was largely related to the fact that the shipyard is a secure facility.”

Though the abruptness of the dismissals came as a shock, the layoffs themselves came as no great surprise.
Back in July, the shipbuilder warned workers that, as work on three major aircraft carrier projects winds down, layoffs lay ahead for both hourly paid and salaried employees. It projected that 500 jobs would go this year and another 1,500 plus in 2016.http://bit.ly/1KnifmT

In a “Dear Shibuilders” letter and accompanying FAQ, issued at that time, Mr. Mulherin said “remember that the workload valley has both a beginning and end as our workload increases again in 2017.

“”We will issue 60-day notices to all affected employees,” the workers were told. “Employees will be expected to work during the 60-day notice period.”

However, because the actual number of layoffs was kept below the 500 number, Newport News was not required to give advanced notifications and the workers separated from the company on the day they were laid off.

Seventy seven of those laid off who have the appropriate skills will have the opportunity to return to an hourly trade job.

Nichols Brothers uses new system to launch Kirby ATB tug

The sister ATB tug, the Tina Pyne, is is scheduled for launch in December 2015.

The new track and dolly system was specifically developed by Engineering Heavy Service (EHS) for vessels greater than 1,000 tons. It is a development of the system that has been used successfully multiple times for transferring the Washington State Ferry 144 car ferry superstructures fabricated at Nichols Brothers on to a barge for transport to assembly with the hull.

The EHS launch system moved the ATB from the shipyard to the launch ramp. General Construction provided two floating cranes to assist in the final lifting of the vessel, shuttling it to deeper water.

The vessel was towed to Everett, WA for lightship, stability testing and fuel transfer. Following this the tug will be towed to Nichols Brothers outfitting pier in Langley, WA, located across the Puget Sound from Everett, WA, for final outfitting, dock and sea trials before its final delivery.

The new launch system significantly increases the displacement and draft of the vessels that Nichols Brothers can haul and launch in the future. Currently the shipbuilder is engineering to install ridged buoyancy tanks to the side of the launch frame, eliminating the need for the floating cranes in the future.

Ingalls Shipbuilding launches NSC 6

Munro is the company’s sixth NSC and is expected to be delivered by the end of next year.

“The National Security Cutter program is in a very mature state,” said Derek Murphy, Ingalls’ NSC program manager. “NSC 6 is the most complete ship at launch, and we accomplished this a week earlier than scheduled. Our shipbuilders continue to improve the learning curve, and the National Security Cutter program illustrates the cost savings and first-time quality that comes from serial production. Our learning curve is the best it has been on this program, and we look forward to continuing this trend on future Coast Guard ships.”

Munro was translated (transferred) via the shipyard’s rail car system to the floating dry dock one week prior to launch. The dock was moved away from the pier and then flooded to float the ship. With the assistance of tugs, Munro came off the dock Saturday morning.

“All of the folks working the translation and launch worked diligently to ensure the process was done in the most efficient manner possible, and that’s exactly what happened,” said Jason Frioux, Ingalls’ NSC 6 program integration manager. “Now our NSC 6 team will continue this effort so this ship will be ready for sea trials and delivery next year. Everything we are doing on a day-to-day basis matters because we want to ensure the men and women of the Coast Guard will have a safe and quality ship to support their homeland security missions.”

Ingalls has delivered the first five NSCs and has three more under construction, including Munro. The seventh ship, Kimball (WMSL 756), is scheduled for delivery in 2018. The eighth NSC, Midgett, will start fabrication in November.

Munro is named to honor Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro, the Coast Guard’s sole recipient of the Medal of Honor. He was mortally wounded on Sept. 27, 1942, while evacuating a detachment of Marines on Guadalcanal.

Legend-class NSCs are the flagships of the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet. Designed to replace the 378‐foot Hamilton-class high-endurance cutters that entered service in the 1960s, they are 418 feet long with a 54-foot beam and displace 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 110.

NSCs are capable of meeting all maritime security mission needs required of the high-endurance cutter. They include an aft launch and recovery area for two rigid hull inflatable boats and a flight deck to accommodate a range of manned and unmanned rotary wing aircraft. The Legend class is the largest and most technologically advanced class of cutter in the Coast Guard, with capabilities for maritime homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defense missions.

Silver Ships delivers survey boat to USACE

The Corps will use the all-welded aluminum vessel for surveying the waters in both the Gulf of Mexico and rivers of the New Orleans District. Designed and engineered by naval architect Lou Codega, PE of Smithfield, VA, the vessel’s hull form is designed to handle the short choppy seas of the Gulf Coast regions.  

The survey boat can achieve a top speed of 28+ knots with a range of 300+ miles and operates at a cruising speed of approximately 25 knots. Power is provided by twin Caterpillar C18 diesels rated at 803 hp each and coupled to Twin Disc v-drive gears.

The pilothouse has full, unobstructed 360° visibility from the operator’s station at all vessel speeds. All interior spaces on the vessel are climate controlled by two 18 kBTU and one 12 kBTU air conditioning systems. Pilothouse accommodations include Mylar shades, hydraulic/suspension seating for a crew of two plus a dinette settee for four. Forward cabin accommodations include an enclosed berthing area for four, Magna Germ Type 2 marine sanitation system with private head, shower, full galley and hanging storage locker.

Navigation and communications equipment includes two Raymarine E165 radar/chartplotters and two ICOM M506 VHF radios and Carlisle & Finch 12″ searchlight.  Onboard electrical service is supplied by 12/24 volt DC power. A 21.5kW Caterpillar C2.2 diesel generator and 60 amp shore power are provided, supplying 120 and 240 volt auxiliary power to the boat.

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Court gives nod for Signal bankruptcy auction

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