VT Halter Marine delivers ATB tug to Bouchard
JUNE 10, 2015 — VT Halter Marine’s Pascagoula, MS, shipyard delivered the ATB tug M/V Frederick E. Bouchard to Bouchard Transportation, Melville, NY, earlier this week. Delivery of the 6,000 hp twin
JUNE 10, 2015 — VT Halter Marine’s Pascagoula, MS, shipyard delivered the ATB tug M/V Frederick E. Bouchard to Bouchard Transportation, Melville, NY, earlier this week. Delivery of the 6,000 hp twin
Nichols Brothers Boat Builders recently completed sea trials on the second of 10,000 hp oceangoing tugs for Kirby Offshore Marine, the coastal tug and barge arm of Kirby Corporation, Houston, TX. The 136 ft x 44 ft tug, Tina Pyne, will be connected to the 185,000 bbl ocean tank barge 185-02 built by Gunderson Marine, Portland, OR.
Kirby’s newbuild plan also includes two 155,000 bbl/6,000 hp Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) units under construction at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI, as well as two 120 ft x 35 ft, 4,894 hp tugs being built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders. Each tug will be powered by two Caterpillar 3516C engines, each rated at 2,447 hp at 1,600 rev/min, with Reintjes reduction gears turning two Nautican fixed-pitched propellers with fixed nozzles. The Reintjes gears were supplied by Karl Senner, LLC, Kenner, LA. The tugs will also have two C7.1 Caterpillar generators for electrical service. Selected deck machinery includes one TESD-34 Markey tow winch, one CEW-60 Markey electric capstan, and one Smith Berger Tow Pin.
Kirby Offshore Marine is the largest U.S. operator of coastal tank barges that provide regional distribution of refined petroleum products, black oil and crude oil. Kirby grew its coastal marine transportation business through the acquisition of K-Sea Transportation Partners L.P. back in 2011 in a transaction valued at about $604 million. At that time, Kirby acquired 58 tank barges (only 54 were double hull) with a capacity of 3.8 million barrels and 63 tugs.
Already the operator of the largest inland tank barges and towboats, Kirby Corporation will grow further with the purchase of Seacor Holdings Inc.’s inland tank barge fleet for about $88 million in cash.
Under the terms of the deal struck last month, Kirby will acquire 27 inland 30,000 bbl tank barges and 13 inland towboats, plus one 30,000 bbl tank barge and one towboat currently under construction. As part of the agreement, Kirby will transfer to Seacor the ownership of one Florida-based ship-docking tugboat.
Kirby Inland Marine currently has 898 active inland tank barges and 243 towboats, with a total carrying capacity of 17.9 million barrels. The primary cargoes transported by this fleet are chemicals, petrochemical feedstocks, gasoline additives, refined petroleum products, liquid fertilizer, black oil and pressurized products.
Kirby President and CEO David Grzebinski, says “Operating primarily in the refined products trade, these assets will be complementary to our existing fleet and will allow us to continue to enhance customer service.”
TRIPLE-SCREW BOATS FOR MID-RIVER
Over the years, Rodriguez Shipbuilding, Inc.’s triple-screw towboats have won a following operating in the shallow waters where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico. These Lugger-type vessels are designed with a distinctive aft-cabin.
Mid-River Terminals of Osceola, AR, recently took delivery of a new design towboat from Rodriguez Shipbuilding, Coden, AL. With a conventional forward-house pusher configuration, the new 70 ft x 30 ft MV/ Dianna Lynn uses the same propulsion as the Lugger tugs. This is composed of three in-line six-cylinder Cummins QSK 19 engines, each delivering 660 hp. Each engine turns a 66-inch stainless steel propeller through ZF gears with 6:1 reduction ratio. The combination gives the 1,980 hp towboat an eight-foot operating draft.
Fitted with large windows, the wheelhouse has a full 360-degree view and is set atop two accommodation decks and a half deck that also serves for bridge electronics support. This gives the towboat a 31-foot high eye-level, with full tanks, for working high barges.
Steering and flanking rudders are controlled by wheelhouse levers with mechanical shafts through the houses and connected to the hydraulic actuator valves in the upper engine room.
A set of push knees and deck winches with cheek blocks facilitates barge work. A pair of 55 kW gensets meets the boat’s electrical requirements.
Zero discharge tanks, built integral to the hull, provide storage for treated sewage and all drains. A separate tank handles waste oil.
The M/V Dianna Lynn is the fourth boat in the Mid-River Terminal fleet, all of which are Cummins powered. Owner Rick Ellis said, “We wanted the three engines for redundancy so that even if we loose an engine we still have over 1,200 horsepower.”
The new boat will be primarily involved in fleeting and harbor work, “Rodriguez did a great job and it is a great handling boat,” Ellis added.
BOUCHARD, MORAN EXPANDING FLEETS
As we highlighted last month, Bouchard Transportation’s multi-million-dollar newbuild program is winding down. The Melville, NY, owner is completing the construction of two new 6,000 hp, 310 ft x 38 ft Intercon tugs at VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula, MS. The tugs Morton S. Bouchard Jr. and Fredrick E. Bouchard will be connected to the B. No. 210 and B. No. 220. The two tank barges were the first double hull tank barges built by Bouchard,. Both were built as wire barges, but following their conversion and stretch at Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., both will be Intercon, flat deck double hulls capable of carrying 110,000 bbl of oil.
Moran Towing, New Canaan, CT, expects to take delivery shortly of a 5,300 hp/110,000 bbl ATB unit from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. The Sturgeon Bay, WI, has another 8,000hp/155,000 bbl ATB unit under construction for Plains All American Pipeline, with an option for a second unit, and signed a hotly contested order for another 8,000 hp/185,000 for another earlier last month. That contract includes an option for another.
The new barge will have a capacity of 185,000-barrels with dimensions of 578 feet by 78 feet. The tug will be an 8.000-HP unit equipped with Tier 4 engines—believed to be GE Marine—to meet the latest EPA emission standards.
When complete, the ATB will operate on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.
“We are pleased to have this opportunity,” said Francesco Valente, FMG President and CEO. “This new contract marks an additional expansion of our product portfolio, confirms our ability to win business with new customers in a very competitive market and further consolidates our presence and reach in the U.S. market.”
“This award increases our pipeline of new construction to 10 vessels and provides additional stability to our business,” said FBS Vice-President and General Manager, Todd Thayse. “We are grateful for the confidence that our customers continue to place in our reputation for quality and the strong shipbuilding skills of our workforce.”
Conrad Shipyards, Morgan City, LA, meanwhile, is building the 80,000 bbl ATB unit for John W. Stone, as well as two ATB tugs for Harley Marine Services, Seattle, WA. Conrad Orange Shipyard in Orange, TX, recently delivered the 35,000 bbl Double Skin 315 to Vane Brothers Company. That barge was towed to New York by the Elizabeth Anne, the first in a series of eight 4,200 hp tugs being built by St. Johns Ship Building, Palatka, FL.
Designed by Frank Basile, P.E. of Entech Designs, LLC, the Elizabeth Anne Class tugboat is a close cousin to Vane’s Basile-designed Patapsco Class tugboats, 15 of which were produced between 2004 and 2009. Measuring 100 feet long and 34 feet wide, with a hull depth of 15 feet, the model-bow Elizabeth Anne utilizes two Caterpillar 3516 Tier 3 engines, each generating 2,100 hhp at 1,600 rev/min. Two John Deere PowerTech 4045, 99 kW generators deliver service power to the boat, while a third John Deere 4045 teamed with an Allison transmission drives the chain-driven INTERCON DD200 towing winch.
ROBERT ALLAN’S LATEST
Over the years, world renowned naval architectural and marine engineering firm Robert Allan Ltd. Has successfully teamed with shipyards around the world to bring new innovative tug designs to the market. Its latest is the VectRA 3000 Class Tug, a high performance VSP Tractor tug designed by Robert Allan Ltd in close collaboration with Turkish ship builder Sanmar and Voith Turbo Propulsion. The tug is designed for maximum efficiency in the performance of towing, harbor ship-handling and escorting of large ships. Performance has been verified with extensive model tests at the commencement of the design cycle. The unique propulsion arrangement features high-speed diesel engines connected to the Voith units via reduction gearboxes with integral clutches. With a bollard pull of 70 tonnes, the VectRA 3000 form can generate escort steering forces in excess of 100 tonnes. Additionally, the design has fire-fighting and oil recovery capabilities and is fully MLC compliant.
The VectRA 3000 has been designed exclusively for Sanmar to offer as one of its highly successful stable of progressive tugboats for the world market.
The first vessel in the series, the M/T Ares, built for Italian tugowner Tripmare SpA, was successfully launched at Sanmar’s new Altinova advanced shipbuilding facility this past February.
The tug has an overall length of 30.25 m, beam of 13m, depth of 5.1m, and design draft of 6.1m.
The vessels are built and classed to the following ABS notation: ✠ A1 Towing Vessel, Escort Vessel, ✠ AMS, Unrestricted Service, UWILD, HAB (WB), ABCU Fire-Fighting Vessel Class 1 Oil Spill Recovery – Capability Class 2 (>60° C) (OSR – C2).
Rather uniquely for a VSP installation, the propulsion drivetrain comprises two Cat 3516C high-speed diesel engines, each rated 2,525 kW at 1,800 rev/min, and driving Voith 32R5EC/265-2 cycloidal propellers. The engines are connected to the Voith drives through a pair of Reintjes WAF 863 gearboxes and Vulkan composite shafts, rather than using the more traditional turbo coupling. This combination is smaller, lighter and less costly than the traditional medium speed drive system. The electrical plant consists of two identical diesel gensets, each with a rated output of 86 ekW.
Crew accommodations are all located on the main deck level for optimal crew comfort. There are 4 single crew cabins plus 1 double crew cabin, each with an en-suite bathroom. A comfortable lounge/mess area and galley facilities are also in the deckhouse, with galley stores and laundry room located below the main deck forward.
All towing, ship handling, and escort work is performed using a double drum escort winch and escort rated staple fitted on the aft deck. One drum can store 710 meters of steel wire line, while the other stores 150 meters of synthetic towline. For increased operational flexibility radial type tow hooks are installed on the main deck forward and aft.
As in a traditional tractor configuration, the stern is the working end of the tug, and as such features heavy-duty cylindrical fendering with a course of ‘W’ fenders below. Hollow ‘D’ fenders protect the sheer lines and tie neatly into the ‘W’ fenders at the bow.
The wheelhouse is designed for excellent 360-degree visibility and includes overhead windows. The split type console is biased aft to ensure unobstructed visibility of the working deck (including the winch, staple, bulwarks and fenders) during operations.
CARGILL’s PUSHBOATS FOR THE AMAZON
In Brazil, the construction of a fleet of Robert Allan Ltd.-designed pushboats and barges for Cargill Transportation is nearing completion. To be used for transporting grain products on the Amazon River system, the fleet includes two shallow-draft RApide 2800-Z2 class pushboats built at INACE in Fortaleza, Brazil and 20 hopper barges built at Rio Maguari in Belem, Brazil.
Each of the two new RApide 2800-Z2 Class pushboats are 28m x 10.5m, with a minimum operating draft of 2.2m and normal operating draft of 2.5m. The two sister vessels, the Cargill Cachara and Cargill Tucunare, are designed to push barge convoys on the Amazon River system.
During the early phases of design, extensive CFD simulations were undertaken to optimize the pushboat’s hull shape to minimize total convoy resistance.
This work was completed in conjunction with extensive logistics modeling of the transportation system to optimize the selection of vessels for the desired route and to analyze operational drafts and cargo throughput at various river levels.
The pushboats were designed to ABS and Brazilian NORMAM-02 requirements and are outfitted to the highest standards.
The wheelhouse is designed for maximum all-round visibility with a split forward control station providing maximum visibility to the foredeck working area of the tug as well as to the convoy of barges ahead. Accommodation for up to 13 people is provided onboard and a large galley and mess is provided on the main deck.
The deckhouse extends aft over the main propulsion components, which comprise a pair of Caterpillar 3512B diesel engines, driving Schottel SRP 550 Z-drive units. The drives are fitted in tunnels designed to optimize flow while reducing draft. Two identical Caterpillar diesel gensets are provided in the vessel’s auxiliary machinery space located below the main deck.
The corresponding 61m x 15m box and rake barges were designed by Robert Allan Ltd. to ABS River Rule requirements. Additional extensive FEA analysis of the structure was performed in order to optimize the design for minimum steel weight while ensuring long service life during river operations. Sliding aluminum hatch covers have been supplied to ensure the cargo stays dry at all times.
Marine Log: Can you tell us about the founding of the company and how it has evolved over the years?
Morton S. Bouchard III: Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. was founded and incorporated in 1918 by my Great Grandfather, Captain Fred Bouchard.
Capt. Fred Bouchard became a tugboat Captain at the young age of 14. In 1916, while on watch, the Black Tom explosion occurred on Staten Island, and Capt. Fred maneuvered his tug and pulled ammunition scows out to safety. He was blown out of the wheel house on two occasions, but continued to pull the scows to safety. For his heroic actions, he was awarded salvage money from the state and federal government; and with those funds he bought a coal scow, lived and worked the scow, and created his own company, Bouchard Transportation Company, which was incorporated in 1918.
In 1931, Capt. Fred acquired Bouchard’s first oil barge, a sunken 15,000-barrel vessel, which he purchased for $100. After raising this vessel in Jacksonville, FL, he towed it to a Norfolk, VA, shipyard where it was converted to a hot oil system, oil barge. From there it was towed up to NY Harbor, signifying Bouchard’s first of many vessel purchases and construction projects.
The company was passed on to my grandfather, Morton (“Buster”) S. Bouchard Sr., who continued to grow the company, then was passed on to my father, Morton S. Bouchard Jr., and then on to me. The philosophy has not changed for four generations: Work hard, do not take anything for granted, take care of your customers, and invest the profits into new more modern equipment, and maintain our existing equipment to the highest standards possible.
Sometimes I sit back and wonder about what all three of them (Capt. Fred Bouchard, Morton S. Bouchard Sr., and Morton S. Bouchard Jr.) would think, as the company has grown beyond their imaginations, and will hopefully continue to grow as the 5th generation, Brendan J. Bouchard, becomes more involved.
ML: When did you first begin working at the company?
MB: I began working at Bouchard when I was 19, a sophomore in college. I worked in the shipyards and our outside office. The following summer I worked on the vessels, and the summer after that I was a night dispatcher, filling in for the night staff vacations. When I graduated college, I was a dispatcher, but was also attached to my father’s hip. I was with him for every meeting and important phone call. I became President at the age of 32.
ML: One of the major regulatory challenges for petroleum marine transportation companies was the enactment of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Tell us how Bouchard addressed that challenge.
MB: OPA 90 changed our industry in every aspect. When OPA 90 was passed, my father and I had a meeting, and he had the entire bill with him. He asked me if I had read it, and I told him no – not the entire bill, but the most important segments. He was very upset, and felt that Bouchard should sell. After a lengthy discussion, which was mostly listening on my part, I finally got my father to realize that 1990 was the year that we would need to decide what our next business plan would be for the company. From this conversation, I finally convinced my father that we should build double hulls, and be the first company to invest in double hulls, which we did. Bouchard was the first to build double hulls (1992 & 1993), and continues to be the leader in double hulls. All of Bouchard barges are flat deck double hulls, we do not believe in trunk deck barges, and feel that the trunks should not be allowed to carry petroleum, for the trunks are not double hull.
OPA 90 also increased the awareness of safety for trained crew members, as well as shoreside personnel. I continuously tell all of our employees that we cannot be profitable unless we are safe, and we must give every employee the resources needed to be safe.
ML: One of your latest deliveries was the 10,000 hp/250,000 bbl Articulated Tug Barge Donna J. Bouchard and the B. No. 272. Those vessels are some of the last under a major investment in renewing and expanding your fleet. Tell me about your fleet expansion?
MB: Bouchard and Halter have enjoyed a relationship for over 40 years. The management of Halter has changed over those years, however Bouchard and Halter continue our relationship.
The latest expansion program involved two units, M/V Kim M. Bouchard & B. No. 270, and the M/V Donna J. Bouchard & B. No. 272. We felt that there was a market need for vessels of this size, and that ATBs are more economical than ships, and just as safe. We started studying various capacities. We were originally targeting 350,000 bbl and 15,000 hp tugs; however, after many meetings and discussions with our customers, and possible future customers, we decided to scale the size down to 250,000 BBLs & 10,000 HP, which proved to be a smart decision. These two new units bring Bouchard’s fleet to three units this size, all flat deck double hulls: M/V Danielle M. Bouchard & B. No. 245, M/V Kim M. Bouchard & B. No. 270, and M/V Donna J. Bouchard & B. No. 272.
Bouchard also contracted to build two 6,000 hp Intercon Tugs with Halter; M/V Morton S. Bouchard Jr. & M/V Frederick E. Bouchard, and contracted with Bollinger to convert the B. No. 210 & B. No. 220 to Intercon barges with segregated ballast. The B. No. 210 & B. No. 220 were two of the first double hull barges Bouchard built, and were wire barges. Upon the completion of their conversion, I am very proud to say that Bouchard’s entire fleet above 60,000 BBL is flat deck, double hull, Intercon ATBs that range in capacity from 55,000 BBLs (B. No. 250 only 1), then 80,000 BBLs to 250,000 BBLs. No other company has such a modern and safe fleet.
ML: Quality, safety and the environment are clearly issues that are of primary concern to Bouchard. How are those issues addressed in the corporate culture and corporate policy?
MB: Quality, safety, environment, and crew safety are Bouchard’s highest priority. Every employee at Bouchard knows that safety is our highest priority. As I mentioned earlier, Bouchard cannot be profitable unless we are safe. This philosophy is practiced every day, 24 hours, 365 days a year – no exceptions. Every captain in Bouchard’s fleet knows that they have the authority to put the operation on hold if they feel the safety of the crew and vessel is being jeopardized. For example:
When it comes to the safety of the crew and fleet, Bouchard employees know all decisions will have my full support. Safety is the most important policy at Bouchard.
ML: Tell our readers about Bouchard’s work with SUNY Maritime. How did that relationship come about?
MB: Education is of vital importance at Bouchard. It is very simple, the more educated our employees are, the safer we as a company will be. A major aspect of education is simulator training.
New York Harbor was always the home of a simulator, and it was relocated to Houston. When I became aware of this, I was upset with myself for not being aware of it. After speaking with various other companies, I decided that a simulator was needed for ocean going tug & barges. I wanted a simulator that could be used by Bouchard employees, but also by the cadets to learn tug & barge operations while enrolled at school. After several meetings with my dear friends at SUNY Maritime, Bouchard made the proud decision to build the Morton S. Bouchard Jr. Tug & Barge Simulator, which can be used for cadets, Bouchard employees, as well as other companies.
Bouchard’s commitment to this simulator is not one and done, it entrails yearly upgrades to the software, and the simulator itself. We just recently upgraded the software to include tractor tugs, and ship docking, all funded by Bouchard.
This type of commitment just enforces our corporate philosophy that there is no budget for safety and proper training, and safety is our number 1 and top priority.
ML: What would you like the legacy of the Bouchard brand to be?
MB: Bouchard’s legacy should be recognized for the following:
Oil and gas E&P generates billions of dollars worth of business annually for shipyards in the form of newbuilds, conversions, and ongoing repairs and maintenance. With the downturn in oil, however, much of that business has dried up and forced shipyards that depend on the oil patch to rethink their strategy. Many are repositioning themselves to pursue other markets or are undertaking capital investments in their facilities to be more efficient and competitive.
There’s no better example than VARD Holdings, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, whose portfolio is heavily focused on offshore oil and gas. Amid losses of NOK1.29 billion (about $148 million) VARD said last month it would preserve its core expertise and skilled employee base and use its existing shipyard capacity until an eventual recovery in its core market. Among the areas it was pursuing were the offshore wind and aquaculture markets. It will also work more closely with its major shareholder, Fincantieri, to support the cruise vessel and offshore patrol vessel sectors.
NORTH AMERICAN SHIPYARDS INVEST, DIVERSIFY
While operators in the Gulf of Mexico have cold stacked many of their vessels, Galliano, LA-based Edison Chouest Offshore, one of the world’s largest offshore support vessels operators, announced last month that it would invest $68 million in opening a new shipyard in the Port of Gulfport, MS. The shipyard, called TopShip, LLC, will operate at the former Huntington Ingalls Composite Facility, which was acquired by the Port of Gulf Port last March.
The new yard was made possible through an incentive package from the Mississippi Development Authority that would help bring TopShip to the port and create over 1,000 jobs, according to Jonathan Daniels, Executive Director and CEO of the Mississippi State Port Authority—the job creation would prove a significant boost to the local economy.
Lawmakers approved an $11 million package through the Mississippi Major Economic Impact Authority—with $10 million going to discretionary funds and $1 million allocated for workforce training. Additionally, the Port has said it would provide $25 million in Katrina-CDBG funds for infrastructure improvements.
ECO already operates shipyards in the U.S. and one in Brazil: North American Shipbuilding, Larose, LA, LaShip, Houma, LA, Tampa Ship, Tampa FL, Navship in Brazil, and Gulf Ship which is also in Gulfport. Most of ECO’s fleet has been constructed at one of its yards.
Having been born in Mississippi, Gary Chouest, ECO President and CEO expressed his gratitude towards the state for the opportunity to provide quality service to its customers, and help the community thrive.
“We are indeed excited about the opportunities to grow TopShip in a business friendly state, one where we can reach out into the community to recruit various skill sets, developing a quality workforce that will allow TopShip not only to compete locally, but also globally,” said Chouest. “With the help of the state of Mississippi, we will modify our TopShip facility to become one of the safest and most efficient shipyards in the nation, building Chouest pride for our employees.”
Mississippi’s VT Halter Marine, too, has seen how investing in its facilities can help business. Over the last 10 years, VT Halter has invested over $100 million to upgrade its three facilities in Mississippi. This includes expanding beyond the newbuild business with a $13 million investment in a new drydock and repair facility back in 2015, the addition of a blast and paint facility; and the purchase of a 76,000 ft2 climate-controlled warehouse.
The investments have not only allowed growth into the repair business, but also made VT Halter Marine more efficient in its newbuild projects, enabling it to meet the growing demands of the increasingly popular Articulated Tug and Barge (ATB) market. Most recently, VT Halter completed the second of two 250,000 bbl ATB units for Bouchard Transportation (see this month’s CEO Spotlight); and currently is preparing the delivery of the second of two 130 ft, 6,000 hp ABS class ocean towing ATB tugs for Bouchard.
VT Halter Marine is also currently building two 2,400 TEU LNG-powered combination ConRo ships for Crowley Maritime Corporation’s liner services group. El Coquí and Taíno will operate in the Jones Act trade between Florida and Puerto Rico and will offer a 38% reduction in CO2 emissions per container. The ships will be delivered by VT Halter Marine in 2017.
Another yard that has benefited from the use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a marine fuel is Conrad Industries. The last few years has seen Conrad Industries, Inc., Morgan City, LA shifting its business approach and diversifying its portfolio—among the shipbuilder’s offerings, it builds tugs, ferries, ocean tank barges, liftboats and specialty barges. In 2015 the yard’s orderbook received a much-needed boost with new construction contracts, including the history-making construction of the first LNG bunker barge for the North American market.
Currently under construction at Conrad’s Orange Shipyard, Orange, TX, the 2,200 m3 capacity bunker barge is being built for WesPac Midstream LLC. Designed by Bristol Harbor Group, Inc., Bristol, RI, and built to ABS class, the barge when delivered later this year will serve TOTE’s Marlin class containerships—Isla Bella and Perla del Caribe, both built at General Dynamics NASSCO. Those LNG-fueled ships are already operating in the Jacksonville to Puerto Rico trade.
It was also certified by GTT to construct the special LNG containment system on the LNG transport bunker barge.
The shipbuilder has also broadened its offerings further with the expansion of its Deepwater South facility in Amelia, LA. The 52-acre site has enabled Conrad to build large articulated barge units. Currently there are eight tank barges under construction at Deepwater South—ranging from 55,000 bbl to 83,000 bbl capacity.
Conrad says that Deepwater South will undergo a wide range of improvements this year including the addition of a new fabrication and assembly building—which will allow for the uninterrupted construction of hull modules year round; and a new Panel Line Building—expected to begin operations this April. The Panel Line Building will be equipped with an automated welding system, a stiffener fitting gantry to automate the fit-up of stiffeners on the panels, and an 8-headed automated stiffener welder—allowing for the shipyard to process 350 tons of steel per week.
THREE NEW FAB BAYS
C&C Marine and Repair, Belle Chasse, LA, is focusing on increasing efficiencies to maintain its competitive advantage. The yard recently added three new fabrication bays giving C & C an additional 115,000 ft2 for the construction of boats and barges; and a fabrication area of 230,000 ft2.
Over the next few months, the yard plans to order two additional transporters (it currently has two capable of moving 600 tons) with a capacity of 830 tons, bringing the total capacity of its transporters to 1,430 tons. This, says New Construction Manager Matthew J. Dobson, will create new opportunities for the yard, and enable C & C to begin taking orders for the fabrication of new 30,000-barrel barges and allow it to transport larger vessels to land for repair projects and paint jobs.
The yard currently has 29 new construction vessels under contract including three 6,600 hp towboats, one 280 ft PSV, one 270 ft cutter head barge, sixteen tank barges and eight deck barges of various sizes.
EXPANDING INTO LARGER VESSELS
Back in 2014, Metal Shark Boats, Jeanerette, LA, was already a successful builder of aluminum vessels, but it had its sights on the construction of vessels up to 90 ft in length and larger, as well as expansion of its portfolio to include steel. It also signed a technology agreement with Damen that would allow it to build offshore patrol boats up to 165 ft in length.
With the development of the new shipyard in Franklin, LA, Metal Shark, now employs 230 workers between its boat yards, and is among the busiest boatbuilders in the U.S., currently producing a number of 38 ft, 45 ft and 55 ft Defiant class vessels and constructing large orders for the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and multiple agencies across the U.S. It also delivered a sophisticated 75 ft multiple purpose port security fire boat to the Port of South Louisiana.
EYE ON THE CARIBBEAN MARKET
For St. Johns Ship Building, diversification of its portfolio and the markets it reaches will propel its next evolution. The small shipyard, which has been under private ownership since 2006, recently delivered the first Elizabeth Anne class of towing vessels to the Vane Brothers Company. The tug is the first in a series of eight the Palatka, FL-based yard is building for the operator. At press time the second vessel was in the water and the third was about to be launched.
St. Johns Ship Building’s yard sits along the St. Johns River—giving it the unique advantage of being on the East Coast with access to both the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean—and its because of its location St. Johns has been able to produce such a diverse portfolio. From OSVs to tugs (a new market for the builder), to coast guard vessels and cargo ships, St. Johns’ 100 acre facility and its 150 employees are at the ready to take on any project.
St. Johns Ship Building President Steven Ganoe says that because the yard doesn’t solely rely on the oil and gas market it has been able to keep business steady during the downturn in the oil and gas market.
Ganoe says the shipyard is keeping tabs on the Caribbean market to see how it develops in the wake of the easing of restrictions on Cuba travel—and determine how St. Johns can help meet any growing demand in that specific market. In the meantime, the shipbuilder continues to make improvements to its facility—having recently added an 18,000 ft2 assembly shop and a Messer CNC 80 ft table to help make production more efficient.
REBORN AS WORLD MARINE
Earlier this year it was announced that World Marine LLC—owned by the Teachers’ Retirement System of Alabama and the Employees’ Retirement System of Alabama—had bought all of Signal International’s assets including its full service and heavy fabrication facilities in Mobile, AL and Pascagoula, MS.
According to the Chapter 11 plan of liquidation, World Marine is seeking to become a leader in the ship repair and ship construction market.
World Marine assures that its experienced team—led by Dick Marler—can handle all types of vessels, but the company will place a high focus on new construction, and the repair and conversion of ocean going vessels and offshore drilling rigs—serving the energy, government and commercial marine markets.
World Marine’s construction and repair facilities include three drydocks—a 22,000-ton Panamax class, a 4,200-ton, and a 20,000 MT heavy lift. The company says its future plans include pursuing the emerging LNG market for the construction of bunker barges and transfer vessels.
NEW DRYDOCK AT COLONNA’S
A decade after the American Civil War ended, Colonna’s Shipyard was founded by Charles J. Colonna. Now, 140 years later, the yard continues to operate and develop with the times.
The shipyard currently occupies over 100 acres of land in the Berkley section of Norfolk, VA, and has water access to over 3,000 ft of vessel berthing space and a lift capacity to accommodate vessels up to 850 long.
Colonna’s is also home to the largest Travel lift in the U.S.—with a capacity of 1,000 metric tons.
As part of its future improvement plans, Colonna’s expects to purchase an additional 25 acres across the street from its main entrance, and add a new floating dry dock.
A few months ago, the Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, announced that the yard would undergo a significant expansion, with Colonna’s investing over $30 million to expand its operations in the City of Norfolk. The expansion would include a new larger drydock, dredging and improvement work to the channel and bulkhead work, and the creation of 51 jobs to the area.
The new floating drydock, which will be named the Charles J., will have a lifting capacity of 11,500 metric tons, an overall length of 595 ft and an inside width of 108 ft. The Charles J. is expected to be fully operational in early 2017 and will accommodate a variety of vessel types including ferries, tugs, barges, containerships, OSVs and several type of government vessels.
Colonna’s CEO Tom Godfrey, said the capital investments would “allow Colonna’s to continue to provide quality services to both commercial and government customers throughout the region.”
NEW DRYDOCKS, AT BAE, DETYENS, BAY SHIPBUILDING
Meanwhile, South Carolina-based Detyens Shipyards recently took delivery of its new floating drydock. Built by Corn Island Shipyard, Grandview, IN, the 400 ft x 108 ft drydock will enable the yard to provide a more cost-effective service to smaller tonnage vessels.
According to Detyens, in the past, smaller vessels would have to piggy back in the yard’s larger graving dock—now with the addition of the smaller dock, it can provide drydock services to vessels up to 11,000 DWT. The new dock sits along the yard’s F Pier, which recently underwent upgrades that included the addition of shipyard services, additional lighting, and dredging of 30 ft.
On the U.S. West Coast, BAE Systems is investing $100 million to build and install a second, larger drydock at its San Diego shipyard. Currently under construction in China, the 950 ft drydock will have a lifting capacity of 55,000 long tons and is expected to support the expansion of the Navy ships homeported in San Diego, which are expected to increase by 20 from 60 to 80 by 2020, according to BAE’s Director of Communications, Karl Johnson. BAE Systems is among the leading providers of maintenance and modernization services of the U.S. Navy.
Portland, OR, Vigor Industrial has been aggressively growing its business through the acquisition and merger with several other regional shipyards, including Kvichak Marine Industries, Seattle, WA.
In 2014, Vigor’s Portland yard began operating its new $50 million drydock, the Vigorous. It has been consistently booked since, supporting hundreds of jobs and attracting work that could not have previously be performed in the region, according to Vigor’s Athena Maris.
Vigorous, with a lifting capacity of 80,000 long tons, is 960 ft long with an inside width of 186 ft and has taken on several repair work projects including the repair work on cruise vessels, and most recently, this past summer, on repair the hull of the multipurpose icebreaker on charter for Shell, the MSV Fennica.
The addition of Vigorous at the Portland yard, enabled Vigor to also reinvest in some of its existing assets. Specifically, Vigor was able to upgrade and transfer one of Portland’s drydocks to its Seattle facility. In Seattle, the drydock Vigilant will be used to perform repair work on the recently awarded Structural Enhancement Drydock Availability (SEDA) Projects. There, the U.S. Coast Guard cutters Bertholf and Waesche will both undergo significant structural enhancement work, system upgrades and maintenance.
Beyond that Vigor is placing capital investments efforts on its environmental stewardship—this includes working on a comprehensive storm water management system at its Portland facility and a shallow-water estuary to help increase the survival of young salmon and steelhead trout on their way to the ocean at its Seattle facility.
On the Great Lakes, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) parent, Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), has invested more than $33 million in capital improvements to increase manufacturing capabilities at its facility in Sturgeon Bay, WI. FMG is currently in negotiations to acquire additional property adjacent to the shipyard to further expand its serial production capabilities.
FBS has completed its new Pipe/Outfitting Building & New Welding Center and added a new floating dry dock that has a total lift capacity of 7,000 long tons. The versatile dry dock can be sectioned off, with a 216 ft section and a 432 ft section.
It has completed the expansion of its Fabrication Building and has added a new Beveling Plasma Burning Machine, 200-ton Yard Transporter, IMG Micro Panel Line, and 1000-ton CNC Press.
Back in 2012, FBS added a 45 ft x 47 ft “megadoor” to the south end of its Fabrication Building 311 to allow larger vessels to be built indoors and moved outside for launching and a Manitowoc 300-ton capacity Model 2250 Crawler Crane.
FBS employs 600 to 800 full-time shipyard professionals and expands its workforce to 1,100 to 1,200 using temporary and contract workers during the Winter Fleet repair season.
FBS currently has under construction six tugs and seven barges of ATB design. Accompanying photo shows the ATB tug Barbara Carol Ann Moran and the ocean tank barge Louisiana at the shipyard. As we reported back on February 22, the shipyard has 14 vessels undergoing a wide range of repairs and repowerings for the Great Lakes Winter Fleet.
SAN DIEGO BOATBUILDER GETS BIGGER, GREENER
Vigor, however, isn’t the only shipbuilder looking to help the environment. San Diego based Marine Group Boat Works will soon break ground on a $1.5 million green initiative that will see the yard install a solar panel system compliant with the state of California’s Solar Initiatives.
The addition of solar power comes during one of the company’s most exciting periods, says Marine Group Boat Works’ (MGBW) Leah Yam. MGBW, which has two yards in San Diego and one in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, recently completed a $2.5 million renovation to its deepwater floating docks system, and will install the final set of docks this spring—making it fully ready for in-water repairs on vessels up to 420 ft in length.
Among MGBW’s most recent repair and retrofit projects is the $19 million refurbishment of the Golden Gate ferry M.S. San Francisco and the conversion of two high-speed aluminum Sub Chapter K San Francisco ferries for the Water Emergency Transportations Authority.
Beyond its repair business, MGBW is also making a dent in the new construction market. Since launching its new construction division in 2008, the shipyard has increased its employee numbers by about 195%, employing 185 workers. Currently, MGBW has five 60 ft aluminum dive boats under construction for the U.S. Navy—the contract calls for the construction of 16; and most recently delivered the first in a series of steel workboats to Japan—two additional boats are on their way, and twelve are on the production schedule, says Yam.
CANADIAN YARDS INVEST FOR NSPS
The end of 2014 saw the completion of Seaspan’s Shipyard Modernization project. Funded entirely by the shipyard, the $155 million project helped transform Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards into one of the most modern yards in Canada.
The two-year project included the addition of four new fabrication buildings—housing a sub assembly shop; panel shop with panel line; block assembly shop; pre-outfitting shop; paint and blast shop; and Canada’s largest (300 tonne) permanent gantry crane.
The expansion was integral to meeting the newbuild project requirements for the Canadian Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy.
Vancouver Shipyards is currently building the first Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV) under the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) for the Canadian Coast Guard. The 208 ft x 52.5 ft OFSV will help support scientific and ecosystem research critical to the economic viability and health of the region’s marine environment. At press time, 30 of the 37 blocks of the OFSV were under construction.
Seaspan also invested an additional $15 million at its Victoria Shipyards, upgrading its facilities with the addition of a new operation center that, according to Seaspan, would help support testing, trails and commissioning new federal vessels.
At press time, there were nine vessels undergoing refits and drydock work at one of Seaspan’s yards—including the 94 ft Canadian Coast Guard vessel Siyay with is undergoing a nine-month midlife modernization refit.
Keeping the future in mind, Seaspan is also investing in its workforce. Seaspan employs 1,500 employees across its three shipyards—Vancouver Shipyards, Vancouver Drydock, and Victoria Shipyards.
In 2015, the shipbuilder received a Canada Jobs Grant to develop e-learning tools for its expanding workforce—the goal of the funding was/is to help ensure workers have a common understanding of the shipbuilding processes, practices, and protocols.
Seaspan also recently announced that it plans to invest $2 million over the next seven years to help support teaching and research in the University of British Columbia’s naval architecture and marine engineering programs.
At Irving Shipbuilding, Halifax, NS, Canada, the company’s $330 million capital investment plan is already paying dividends. Last September, it marked the start of production of the HMCS Harry DeWolf, the first Arctic Offshore Patrol ship (AOPS) for Canada.
The ship is the first of up to 21 vessels that will renew Canada’s combatant fleet over the next 30 years under the NSPS. Irving Shipbuilding has built more than 80% of Canada’s current combatant ships.
Current direct employment at Marine Fabricators in Dartmouth and the Halifax Shipyard is about 900. Over the next two years, the workforce at both sites is expected to rise to 1,600, with over 1000 directly employed on AOPS production. In addition, total employment at Irving Shipbuilding (all operations) is forecasted to rise to over 2,500 direct employees at peak production of the larger Canadian Surface Combatant vessels that will replace Canada’s current fleet of Halifax Class frigates.
To date, the modernization at Irving Shipbuilding and the AOPS contract have resulted in over $1 billion in spending commitments.
Meanwhile, one of the oldest shipyards in North America, Chantier Davie Canada Inc., Levis, Quebec, has taken its first steps in the Resolve-Class Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment ship project. The project involves the conversion of a containership into an Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment Ship that will be delivered to the Canadian Royal Navy in 2017.
It also recently completed the refit of four of Canada’s heaviest icebreakers, as well as a bulk carrier and is a pioneer in the construction of LNG-fueled ferries.
FEBRUARY 19, 2016—Family-owned petroleum marine transportation company Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc., Melville, NY, christened the 250,000 bbl Articulated Tug Barge unit M/V Donna J. Bouchard and B. No. 272 yesterday at ceremonies
To support Crowley’s LNG needs, Eagle LNG will build a natural gas liquefaction plant (LNG plant) offering a capacity of 200,000 gallons per day (87,000 gallons per day initially) in Jacksonville, FL. The state-of-the-art facility is slated to be operational by early 2017.
The decision to partner with Eagle LNG was made by Crowley in part because of the two companies’ shared commitment to the environment.
“Crowley is proud to take a leadership position in the industry’s shift to cleaner-burning, natural gas fuel solutions,” said Crowley’s John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico services. “The partnership with Eagle LNG is an important first step in developing sustainable supply infrastructure to ensure these highly technical, environmentally friendly vessels operate to their full capability.”
“The marine sector represents a significant opportunity for LNG fueling in the U.S., and Eagle LNG is well-positioned to build the necessary infrastructure and provide the specialized logistics to facilitate this energy transformation,” said Dick Brown, CEO, Eagle LNG “It takes companies like Crowley to lead that wave of change. Eagle LNG is proud to work with such a pioneering organization.”
“This project is an important investment in our community from both economic and environmental perspectives,” said Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. “It clearly demonstrates the leadership role our region is playing in LNG development and progression, while strengthening our commitment to leaving a smaller footprint through cleaner-burning fuel.”
The supply agreement between Eagle LNG and Crowley will provide LNG fuel for the El Conqui and Taino, which are expected to be in service in the second quarter and fourth quarter of 2017 respectively.
The Jones Act ships will replace Crowley’s towed triple-deck barge fleet, which has served the trade continuously since the early 1970s. The new ships, will offer customers fast ocean transit times, while accommodating the company’s diverse equipment selection and cargo handling flexibility.
The LNG liquefaction plant is separate from the previously announced Eagle LNG Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) export terminal located along the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, which will continue to focus on export markets in the Caribbean and Atlantic Basin.
1. ISLA BELLA, WORLD’S FIRST LNG-FUELED CONTAINERSHIP (pictured above)
TOTE Maritime’s 3,100-TEU containership Isla Bella was due to set sail for San Juan, PR, on November 24, marking the first time a ship in a Jones Act liner service will burn Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. When the 764-foot-long Isla Bella transited the Panama Canal back on October 30 on her way to the Port of Jacksonville, Panama Canal Administrator/CEO Jorge L. Quijano called her “a true engineering feat.”
Among the principal maritime stakeholders involved in the successful launch of the Isla Bella and her sister Perla del Caribe are: owner and operator TOTE, shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO, designer DSEC (Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering’s ship design arm), engine licensee MAN Diesel & Turbo, classification society ABS, and regulator U.S. Coast Guard.
The two Marlin Class containerships were contracted by TOTE in December 2012 and are being built at a total cost of about $375 million.
The 764-ft Isla Bella is equipped with the world’s first dual-fuel slow-speed engine, an 8L70ME-GI built by Korea’s Doosan Engine, under license from MAN Diesel & Turbo. With a 3,100 TEU capacity, the LNG-powered Isla Bella reduces NOx emissions by 98 percent, SOx emissions by 97 percent and CO2 emissions by 76 percent. The technology makes the ship one of the world’s most environmentally friendly containerships afloat.
During LNG will allow the Marlin Class Isla Bella to be fully compliant with strict emissions regulations while operating in both the North American Emissions Control Area and the U.S. Caribbean ECA.
At the time of her delivery, Kevin Graney, Vice President and General Manager of General Dynamics NASSCO, said, “Successfully building and delivering the world’s first LNG-powered containership here in the United States for coastwise service demonstrates that commercial shipbuilders, and owners and operators, are leading the world in the introduction of cutting-edge, green technology in support of the Jones Act.”
The moment is bittersweet for TOTE as it unfolds within the shadow of the tragic loss of the SS El Faro with all hands aboard during Hurricane Joaquin on October 1. The ship’s crew of 28 and five Polish nationals onboard were lost. The U.S. Navy, working with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), has located the ship in waters 15,000 feet deep near the Crooked Island in the Bahamas.
The Isla Bella will be joined by the Perla del Caribe in Puerto Rico cargo service in the first quarter of 2016.
2. OHIO, LNG-READY PRODUCT TANKER
The 330,000 bbl Ohio was became the first product tanker to be built with the future consideration for the future use of LNG as fuel when it was delivered earlier this year to Crowley Maritime Corp. by Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Philadelphia, PA.
The Ohio received American Bureau of Shipping’s (ABS) LNG-Ready Level 1 approval, meaning Crowley has the option to convert the tanker to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) propulsion in the future.
The Ohio along with her three ships being built at Aker Philadelphia are based on a proven Hyundai Mipo Dockyards (HMD) design which incorporates numerous fuel efficiency features, flexible cargo capability, and a slow-speed diesel engine built under license from MAN Diesel & Turbo. The 600 feet long Ohio is capable of carrying crude oil or refined petroleum products.
Crowley’s Seattle-based, naval architecture and marine engineering subsidiary Jensen Maritime is providing construction management services for the product tankers. Jensen now has an on-site office and personnel at the Philadelphia shipyard to ensure strong working relationships with shipyard staff and a seamless construction and delivery program.
“We are excited to offer our customers cutting-edge technology available in these new tankers, which not only embraces operational excellence and top safety, but also offers the potential to be powered by environmentally friendly LNG in the future,” said Crowley’s Rob Grune, senior vice president and general manager, petroleum and chemical transportation. “Adding these new Jones Act tankers to our fleet allows us to continue providing our customers with diverse and modern equipment to transport their petroleum and chemical products in a safe and reliable manner.”
3. NEW MINI TANKER FOR NY HARBOR
Blount Boats, Inc., Warren, RI, delivered the Chandra B, a new mini-tanker for American Petroleum & Transport, Inc., Miller Place, NY. The 79 ft by 23 ft, double-hull bunkering tanker operates in New York Harbor and New Jersey supplying fuel to ferries, dinner boats, dredges, and other vessels.
Propulsion power for the tanker is supplied by two EPA Tier 3-compliant Cummins Model QSL9, six-cylinder diesel engines rated at 330 hp at 1,800 rev/min with ZF Model W325 marine hydraulic gears that will have 4.91:1 reduction ratio. The self-propelled Chandra B is equipped with a 50 hp Wesmar hydraulic bow thruster, providing it with enhanced maneuverability.
Designed by Farrell & Norton Naval Architects, Newcastle, ME, the Chandra B is built to USCG Subchapter “D” specifications and is less than 100 gross tons. Farrell & Norton also designed one of the tank barges in American Petroleum & Transport’s fleet. The double-hull Chandra B will replace the 1979-built single hull Capt. Log in American Petroleum & Transport’s fleet.
American Petroleum & Transport (APT) has had to retire all of its single-hull tankers because of OPA 90 regulations.
APT vessels crisscross New York Harbor delivering ultra low sulfur diesel to clients such as Circle Line, New York Water Taxi, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, and Sterling Equipment, as well as for the auxiliary engines of larger ships. The Chandra B has cargo fuel tankage is designed to hold a capacity of 56,450 gallons.
4. SAKIGAKE, JAPAN’S FIRST LNG-POWERED TUG
This past year, NYK took delivery of Sakigake, Japan’s first LNG fueled tug. Built at NYK’s wholly owned subsidiary Keihin Dock Co’s Oppama shipyard, the 37.2 m x 10.2 m Sakigake is operated by Wing Maritime Service Corporation, mainly in the ports of Yokohama and Kawasaki. Wing Maritime also operates the hybrid tug Tsubasa.
The Sakigake is equipped with two Niigata 6L28AHX-DF dual-fuel engines, each developing 1,618 kW. Propulsion is supplied by two Niigata Z-Pellers.
The DF engines can burn either LNG or diesel oil. The environmental advantages of operating on LNG as compared with conventionally powered tugs that use marine diesel oil is Sakigake emits about 30 percent less CO2, 80 percent less NOx, and no SOx.
While the project posed several challenges—the relatively small size and limited amount of space on the tug, and the large variation in engine power—Keihin Dock was able to achieve the desired level of environmental performance while maintaining the same hull form and steering performance of existing tugs. Keihin Dock worked closely with both Niigata Power Systems and Air Water Plant & Engineering Inc. to develop equipment for supplying LNG.
The project was supported by subsidies from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. ClassNK also provided joint research support.
5. JS INEOS INSIGHT, FIRST ETHANE-POWERED SHIP
Emblazoned on the JS Ineos Insight’s hull is the phrase, “Shale Gas for Manufacturing.” Built specifically to transport shale gas from the U.S. to Europe, the JS Ineos Insight is the first of eight 180m x 26.6m ethane gas carriers built by China’s Sinopacific for Denmark’s Evergas.
Named on July 14, the JS Ineos Insight can not only carry ethane, LPG or LNG, but can also burn ethane, LNG and conventional diesel in its two Wartsila 50DF dual fuel engines.
The eight Ineos ships will transport over 800,000 tons of ethane gas at -90°C per annum across the Atlantic from the U.S. to Norway and Scotland.
Classed by Bureau Veritas, the Dragon vessels were originally designed as dual-fuel LNG/diesel-powered vessels, with two 1,000 m3 LNG tanks on deck powering two Wärtsilä 6L20 DF main engines with a total output of 2,112 kW and two shaft generators with a total output of 3,600 kW power. The vessels will initially transport ethane from the U.S, to the U.K. Ineos refineries, the ability to also burn ethane was added to allow use of the cargo gas as fuel.
At the christening of the JS Ineos Insight and the JS Ineos Ingenuity, Ineos Chairman Jim Ratcliffe says, “Today is a landmark day for both Ineos and Europe. We have seen how U.S. shale gas revolutionized U.S. manufacturing and we believe these huge ships will help do the same for Europe. Ineos together with Evergas has commissioned eight brand new ships, accessed hundreds of miles of new pipeline and built two enormous terminals to get U.S. Shale gas to Europe. The scale of the whole project is truly breathtaking.”
According to Bureau Veritas Business Development Manager Martial Claudepierre, the ability to burn ethane and LNG as fuel in the Dragon Class ships “is a major step forward in the use of clean fuels.” He says that BV worked with Evergas and the Danish Maritime Authority to verify and ensure that the use of ethane is at least as safe as required by the IGC and will not impair the engine compliance with MARPOL Annex VI.
According to Claudepierre, using ethane required extra engine room ventilation and additional gas detection, plus modifications to the main engines including a lower compression ratio, different turbocharger nozzles and de-rating of the engine to cope with the lower knocking resistance of ethane. “But,” he says, “The gains in not carrying an additional fuel and in environmental performance from being able to burn clean fuel throughout the voyage are significant.”
6. MARJORIE C, NEW JONES ACT CONRO
Capable of carrying up to 1,200 cars and 1,400 TEU of containers, the Combination Container and Roll-on/Roll-Off (ConRO) vessel Marjorie C entered Jones Act service this year between the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii.
Built by VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula, MS, the Marjorie C was engineered from a proven design by Grimaldi at Croatia’s Uljanik Shipyard. The 692 ft x 106 ft ConRO has a draft of 31 ft, deadweight of 21,132.5 metric tons, with nine decks. It has a stern ramp capacity of 350 metric tons. The ship has a service speed of 21.5 knots.
The vessel’s design incorporates the highest level of operating efficiencies as well as reduced environmental impacts. The sister vessel, Jean Anne, was Pasha Hawaii’s first Jones Act vessel and has been serving the Hawaii/Mainland trade since March 2005. The Marjorie C entered into service this past May.
The ship is named in honor of Pasha Hawaii’s President and CEO George Pasha, IV’s grandmother, Marjorie Catherine Ryan.
“After more than three and a half years of planning and construction, we are pleased to unveil a ship that has been designed to not only accommodate the varying needs of our customers, but a vessel that minimizes our carbon footprint through extensive fuel consumption efficiencies and other green technologies,” said Pasha Hawaii’s President and CEO, George Pasha, IV. “With the addition of the Marjorie C we can now offer customers increased service and capacity between the West Coast and Hawaii trade lane on vessels providing superior reliability and cargo protection.”
7. NEIL ARMSTRONG, FIRST OF NEW CLASS OF RESEARCH VESSELS
This past Halloween, the first-of-class oceanographic research vessel R/V Neil Armstrong (AGOR 27) set sail from Dakota Creek Industries, Anacortes, WA, to San Francisco, CA, on its inaugural voyage. As we went to press, the Neil Armstong was waiting its turn to pass through the Panama Canal on its way north to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Woods Hole, MA. The ship will be operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution under a charter party agreement with Office of Naval Research (ONR).
Designed by Guido Perla & Associates, Inc., Seattle, WA and owned by the U.S. Navy, Neil Armstrong is 238 ft x 50 ft with a depth of 22 ft and draft of 15 ft. The first of two research vessels, the Neil Armstrong has four main 1,400 kW diesel generators, two 876 kW propulsion motors, and two controllable pitch propellers. The ship has a sustained speed of 12 knots and maximum speed of 12.8 knots.
The ship was classed by ABS Under 90 meter rules A1, Circle E, AMS, ACCU, NIBS, Ice Class D0, UWILD, 46 CFR Subchapter U, SOLAS (Oceanographic Vessels), MARPOL.
The Neil Armstrong’s sister vessel, the R/V Sally Ride (AGOR 28), is also under construction at Dakota Creek Industries.
During acceptance trials, Mike Kosar, Program Manager for the Support Ships, Boats and Craft office within the Program Executive Office (PEO), Ships, says, “The results of these tests and the outstanding fit, finish and quality of the vessel, stand as a testament to the preparation and effort of our entire shipbuilding team. It reflects the exceptionalism of AGOR 27’s namesake, Neil Armstrong.”
Neil Armstrong Class AGORS incorporate the latest technologies, including high-efficiency diesel engines, emissions controls for stack gasses, and new information technology tools both for monitoring shipboard systems and for communicating with the world. These ships will provide scientists with the tools and capabilities to support ongoing research including in the Atlantic, western Pacific and Indian Ocean regions across a wide variety of missions.
The lab areas include the main lab of 1,023 ft2, the wet area of 398 ft2, computer area of 311 ft2, and staging area bay of 303 ft2.
Neil Armstrong will be capable of assisting with integrated, interdisciplinary, general purpose oceanographic research in coastal and deep ocean areas. The vessel will operate with a crew of 20 with accommodations for 24 scientists.
8. BARZAN, FIRST OF NEW CLASS OF GAS READY BOXSHIPS
Recently named in a ceremony at shipbuilder Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries’ Mokpo, South Korea, shipyard, Barzan is the first in a series of six 18,800 TEU containerships ordered by Dubai headquartered United Arab Shipping Company (UASC). It is the first vessel to receive classification society DNV GL’s new GAS READY notation. Her five sister ships and eleven 15,000 TEU vessels of UASC’s newest eco-ship generation, will also receive the notation.
The ships have been designed and constructed to enable a quick and cost efficient retrofit to LNG fueling at a later stage. The GAS READY notation, with nominators (D, S, MEc, AEi) demonstrates that the vessel is in compliance with the gas fueled notation rules, that structural reinforcements to support the fuel containment system (LNG tank) have been verified (S), that the main engines installed can be converted to dual fuel (MEc ) and that the auxiliary engines installed can be operated on gas (AEi).
“We believe that this vessel, as well as the rest of the vessels in our new building program, demonstrates our commitment to technical innovation and eco-effectiveness,” says Jørn Hinge, President and CEO of UASC. “For UASC, achieving optimum efficiency levels is not a single initiative or project, it is a strategy and an ongoing commitment, and we will continue to work with DNV GL on the remaining newbuild vessels that have the lowest levels of CO2 output in their class.”
As well as being LNG ready, Barzan and her sister vessels incorporate several innovative energy saving methods, including a Siemens’ Siship SGM environmentally friendly drive and power generation system.
The Waste Heat Recovery System (WHRS) converts thermal energy from the exhaust gas from the main engines into electrical power to maximize the efficiency of the system.
The Barzan was expected to have an EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index) value that is close to 50 per cent less than the 2025 limit set by IMO, with a CO2 output per TEU that is more than 60 per cent lower than a 13,500 TEU vessel delivered just three years ago.
Barzan has been constructed to DNV GL class rules with the notations: 1A1 Container Carrier DG-P Shore Power E0 NAUT-OC HMON (A1,C1,G4) CLEAN BWM-T BIS TMON NAUTICUS (Newbuilding) GAS READY (D, S, MEc, AEi).
9. CROWN POINT, NEW GENERATION GREEN TUG
Tidewater Transportation and Terminals, Vancouver, WA, recently took delivery of the Crown Point, the first in a series of three 102 ft x 38 ft towboats being built at Vigor Industrial in Portland, OR.
The three towboats are the first new vessels to be built for the Tidewater fleet in 30 years, and are critical for the company to meet the anticipated rising customer demand on the Columbia-Snake River system. “The launching of the Crown Point, and the forthcoming Granite Point and Ryan Point vessels, marks an important step for Tidewater,” says Marc Schwartz, Maintenance & Engineering Manager at Tidewater. The vessels will strengthen our fleet, as well as reinforce Tidewater’s commitment to our customers, community, and environment.”
Tidewater operates the largest barge transportation and terminal network on the Columbia-Snake River system. The Crown Point joins the company’s current fleet of 16 vessels and 160 barges. Tidewater transports a wide range of cargo among a network of ports, terminals and grain elevators throughout the entire Columbia-Snake River system, which stretches some 465 miles of waterways. We also operate five strategically located terminals and five pipelines with key intermodal connections to railroads, highways and other pipelines.
Designed by CT Marine, Naval Architects and Marine Engineers of Edgecomb, ME, the Crown Point is an environmentally friendly tug with EPA Tier 3 compliant diesel engines that reduce air emissions and improve fuel efficiency. Main propulsion is supplied by two Caterpillar 3516C EPA Tier 3 certified diesel engines producing 2,240 bhp, each at 1,600 rev/min. The engines drive two 92 in. x 100 in. fixed pitch, stainless steel propellers through CT28 Kort Nozzles capable of a service speed of 8 knots. Operating in the Columbia River Gorge high winds, extreme currents and swells can be considered normal piloting conditions. That’s why the Crown Pount abd her sister towboats are fitted with an enhanced steering system using four steering and four flanking rudders was designed. The towboat has a wheelhouse with exceptional all-round visibility through full height windows, leading edge navigation and communications equipment, and enhanced accommodations for the captain and crew.
“During the last year and a half, a great deal of effort went into designing, engineering and building a towboat that would meet or exceed performance parameters,” explains Bruce Reed, Tidewater COO and Vice President. “With crew endurance being a priority, we employed Noise Control Engineers, Billerica, MA to develop a sound and vibration control package for the vessel. By incorporating Christie and Grey vibration control mounts and comprehensive acoustic insulation, noise levels register at less than 60 decibels in the accommodations during vessel operation.”
Other equipment onboard the Crown Point includes two C7.1, Tier 3 generators, rated at 480v, 200 kW at 1,800 rev/min. 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 pilothouse remote operation and local push button control stations on the main deck. Each winch has Samson 1 3/8” Turbo 75 Synthetic Line.
In order to use the newest technology and 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.
10. MULTRATUG 28, A HYBRID TUG
This past year, Netherlands-based towage and salvage specialist Multraship took delivery of Multratug 28, a Damen ASD 2810 Hybrid tug built at Damen Shipyards Galaţi, in Romania, as part of a fleet expansion program.
Classed by Lloyd’s Register, the hybrid Multratug 28 is 28.67m x 10.43m, with a maximum draft of 4.9m. The propulsion system includes two MTU 16V4000M63R diesel engines with one MTU 12V 2000 M41B propulsion genset of 800 kvA, 440V-60Hz. The battery pack are two 120 kWh. Two Rolls Royce US205 azimuth thrusters provide propulsion. The tug has a bollard pull of 62 tons, diesel direct speed of 13 knots, diesel electric speed of 8 knots, and battery pack speed of 4 knots.
The ASD 2810 HYBRID is developed to save fuel by 30% and to reduce emissions by 50%. To achieve this the vessel is provided with a propulsion system that can operate diesel-direct, diesel-electric or fully-electric. Fully-electric sailing on the batteries, with zero emissions and extremely low noise levels, is possible for time periods of up to one hour at a speed of 4 knots.
In June 2014, the first Damen ASD 2810 Hybrid was delivered to Iskes Towage & Salvage. Being green does not mean sacrificing power, the Bernardus still has a bollard pull of 60 tonnes. The Bernardus operates in the Port of IJmuiden near Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
“This hybrid tug is a unique concept,” says Dinu Berariu, Project Manager at Damen Shipyards Galaţi. “It features a diesel-direct, diesel-electric and battery powered propulsion system. This hybrid configuration will enable Multraship to lower fuel costs by up to 30 percent and emissions by up to 60 percent.”
Headquartered in the harbor city of Terneuzen, Multraship operates in the ports around the Scheldt estuary, in Zeeland seaports and the Belgian ports of Ghent and Antwerp, as well as the Bulgarian port of Burgas on the Black Sea.
Multraship’s fleet expansion program stems from its increasing customer base in the offshore sectors as well as growing demand for harbor towage services.
11. VASCO DE GAMA, FIRST 18,000 TEU BOX SHIP FROM A CHINESE YARD
As we went to press, the world’s third largest containership company, CMA CGM Group, Marseilles, France, was closing in on the acquisition of Singapore-based NOL, the world’s fourth largest. It successful, privately held CMA CGM would leapfrog over MSC to become number two in the world.
A big part of CMA CGM’s success is its investments in larger, more energy efficient tonnage to improve pricing and economies of scale. An excellent example is the CMA CGM Vasco De Gama delivered this summer to CMA CGM by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).
With a length of 399 m and breadth of 54 m, the 18,000 TEU vessel is the largest containership in the CMA CGM Group and is the first 18,000 TEU containership to be built by a Chinese shipyard. CSSC is also building two more of the giant box ships, the CMA CGM Zheng He and CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin.
Flying the U.K. flag, CMA CGM Vasco De Gama is equipped with the latest environmental technologies including a latest generation main engine, a twisted leading edge rudder with bulb from Germany’s Becker Marine Systems and an optimized hull design. These innovations decrease the vessel’s CO2 emissions by 10% compared to the previous vessel generation. With an estimated emission of 37g of CO2/km for each container carried, the giant containership provides one of the world’s greenest goods transportation options.
The ship’s environmental footprint meets the 2025 energy efficiency regulations.
CMA CGM Vasco De Gama calls at 11 different countries on CMA CGM Group’s French Asia Line (FAL) service between Europe and Asia.
CMA CGM is also building three 20,600 TEU containerships—the largest yet built—at Korea’s Hanjin Heavy Industries. Those three ships will each have full spade twisted rudders (TLKSR) from Becker Marine Systems and Becker Twisted Fins. Both Becker products will make a significant contribution to the vessel’s efficiency improvement.
12. ESVAGT FROUDE, SPECIALIZED WIND FARM VESSEL
As of September this past year, Denmark’s ESVAGT had new owners; 3i Infrastructure and AMP Capital acquired the shares of A.P. Møller-Maersk Group and ESE-Holding. While ESVAGT’s primary market will continue to be oil and gas support and standby rescue in the North Sea, the company is broadening its portfolio with a push into the offshore wind energy market.
This past summer, ESVAGT entered the offshore wind industry with the christening of the world’s first purpose-built Service Operation Vessels at Siemens AG in Rostock and Hamburg, Germany.
The Service Operation Vessels (SOV), Esvagt Froude and Esvagt Faraday are each 83.7m x 17.6m, with a draft of 6.5m. Both of the Danish-flag SOVs were built in Norway by Havyard Ship Technology and are based on a Havyard 832 SOV design. The SOVs both have diesel-electric propulsion and DC power systems, enabling optimized fuel and energy efficiency and crew comfort. The service speed is 14 knots.
The SOVs are essentially “service stations at sea,” offering technicians a safe, efficient platform for wind turbine maintenance. Using the ship’s DP system, the ship can connect to wind turbines via its Ampelmann A-type Walk-to-work hydraulic gangway system offering a stable, safe platform to connect to the wind turbine.
Each offers accommodations for 60 people. The vessels are designed to reduce the level of vibration and increase the level of comfort for everyone onboard.
“As a supplement to the “Walk-to-Work” gangway, we have equipped the Service Operation Vessels with the newly developed ESVAGT Safe Transfer Boats (STB 7 and STB 12),” says Søren Nørgaard Thomsen, Managing Director for ESVAGT. “They are designed in-house based on more than 20 years of experience in boat development and more than 100,000 boat transfers. These boats will in a safe manner provide the industry with additional efficiencies and cost reductions.”
Each of the ships carry ESVAGT STB 7B Safe Transfer Boat, ESVAGT STB 12A Safe Transport Boat, ESVAGT FRB 15C Fast Rescue Boat.
A third ESVAGT SOV is on order and under construction at Havyard for delivery in 2016. The third ESVAGT SOV will service the 400 MW Dudgeon Wind Farm off the East Coast of England in the fall of 2016.
If you were at a seaport along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, more than likely you would be able to spot the distinctive blue “V” logo of the Vane Brothers Company on at least one tug in the harbor. The privately held marine transportation company has been serving the U.S. East Coast for more than 100 years, now handling chemical and petroleum products on its double-skin tank barges in seven ports from New York to Jacksonville, FL.
Under the steady guidance of C. Duff Hughes, the third generation of the Hughes family at the helm of the company, Vane Brothers, headquartered in Baltimore, MD, has been aggressively growing its fleet of 120 tugs and barges. Since 2008, Vane Brothers has been adding a series of 3,000-hp, Sassafras Class Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) tugs. Just last month, Vane Bros. ordered the 15th, 16th, and 17th of the class, all of which have been ordered from and built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
The latest in the series delivered by Chesapeake Shipbuilding is the Fort Schuyler, the eleventh in the class. Its sister tug, the Kings Point, was delivered in April this year.
The tugs have been very popular with the company’s crews. Vane Brothers Senior Port Captain Jim Demske, says, “The crews on these tugs particularly like the high quality of the tugs’ construction and layout. The ergonomic arrangement of the pilothouses and engine rooms contribute comfort and safety. The power from the Caterpillar engines and the performance from the Twin Disc reduction gears all contribute to the great handling of these tugs, which is especially appealing to the operators. The new Simrad Solid State Halo radars and touch-screen electronics are some of the finest in the industry and also make life on these tugs better.”
Measuring 94 feet long and 32 feet wide with a hull depth of 13 feet, the Fort Schuyler is similar in most respects to the previous 10 tugs built for Vane by the shipyard.
The vessel is equipped with twin Caterpillar 3512 Tier 3 main engines producing a combined 3,000 horsepower, and operates with a single-drum hydraulic towing winch from JonRie Intertech, Manahawkin, NJ.
“Soft-core” panels and heavy, fire-rated doors are used throughout the boats, offering the crew a safer and quieter living environment.
“Vane Brothers and Chesapeake Shipbuilding continue to have a very strong relationship,” says Demske. “The next tug to be launched in coming weeks will be the Fort McHenry, followed by the Fishing Creek.” Demske says the names of the other tugs have yet to be announced.
The Fort Schuyler, like the Kings Point, has joined Vane Brothers’ fleet based in New York. The two vessels are named for the campuses of SUNY Maritime College in Fort Schuyler, NY, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY.
In addition to the 3,000-hp tugs coming from Chesapeake Shipbuilding, there are two 4,200-hp tugs under construction at St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, FL, for delivery in 2016, with two more under contract.
VANE ADDS NEW BARGES, TOO
According to Vane Brothers, three 35,000-barrel barges and four 55,000-barrel barges (including the 509A asphalt barge) have been delivered in the last 10 months, with another 55,000-barrel barge expected before the end of the year. These have come primarily from Conrad Shipyards in Orange, TX, and Amelia, LA, as well as Jeffboat in Jeffersonville, IN.
New and current mariners at Vane have a variety of training opportunities available to them, both formal and informal. According to Vane Brothers spokesman Blaise Willig, the company has supported many vessel-based employees this year as they receive instruction to help them be more effective at their current jobs and contribute to their future advancement. Vane is a Partner Company in the Workboat Academy’s Workboat Program. And, as a result of Person in Charge (PIC) Barge training this year at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in Linthicum Heights, MD, former Vane Deckhands have become highly qualified Tankermen now assigned to Vane barges. Vane’s training efforts and commitment to promoting from within help to ensure that its vessels are manned with professionals who meet and surpass the highest standards in the industry.
NEW ATB TUG LAUNCHED FOR BOUCHARD
Early last month, the Moss Point Marine shipyard of VT Halter Marine, Inc., launched the M/V Morton S. Bouchard a 6,000hp, twin-screw Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) tug for Bouchard Transportation, Inc., Melville, NY.
The ATB tug is one of two sister vessels being built under a two-vessel contract signed in August 2014. Morton S. Bouchard and sister vessel Frederick E. Bouchard each measure 130 feet by 38 feet by 22 feet and is classed by ABS as +A1 Ocean Towing, Dual Mode ATB, USCG Subchapter C. On completion, both tugs will be equipped with an Intercon Coupler System. Deliveries are expected in January and May 2016, respectively. The vessels will enter into Bouchard Transportation’s fleet service in New York, NY.
This most recent launch follows the September launch from the Moss Point shipyard of another ATB tug for Bouchard, the 10,000 hp M/V Donna J. Bouchard.
Also equipped with an Intercon Coupler, Donna J. Bouchard, is classed by ABS as +A1 Towing Vessel, Dual Mode ATB, USCG Subchapter M. She will be paired with barge B.No.272, which is currently under construction at VT Halter Marine’s Pascagoula, MS, shipyard to comprise the second ATB unit built for Bouchard Transportation as part of its major expansion program.
“Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc. is happy to announce yet another successful launching of a state of the art ATB tug built by VT Halter Marine. The launching of the M/V Morton S. Bouchard Jr. is a special event within the Bouchard Family, for the vessel is named after the father of President/CEO, Morton S. Bouchard III, who wanted his father’s name to always remain on the waterfront for which he dedicated his entire fife to. The original tug, Morton S. Bouchard Jr., which was also built by Halter, was earlier renamed as The Bouchard Boys and continues to operate with Bouchard Fleet,” says Morton S. Bouchard III President and CEO, Bouchard Transportation.
“The successful launching of both vessels, the M/V Morton S. Bouchard Jr. today and the M/V Donna J. Bouchard in September is an indication of the commitment to the continued relationship with Bouchard Transportation,” says Jack Prendergast, CEO, VT Halter Marine.
NEW ATB TUG FOR MORAN
Moran Towing has newbuild programs underway at Washburn & Doughty shipyard in East Boothbay, ME, and Fincantieri’s Bay Shipbuilding in Stugeon Bay, WI. Its newest ATB tug, Leigh Ann Moran, recently completed her sea trials in Sturgeon Bay. The 121 ft x 36 ft tug was christened in late September by her namesake, Leigh Ann Engibous, wife of long-time Chevron employee Bill Engibous.
Also under contract at Bay Shipbuilding are the 121 ft x 36 ft ATB tug Barbara Carol Ann Moran and a 110,000 bbl double-skin tank barge, which are due for delivery in the second quarter of next year.
Meanwhile, Washburn & Doughty have contracts for six 6,000 hp Z-drive harbor tugs for the New Canaan, CT-based tug company.
MCALLISTER PUBLISHES 150th ANNIVERSARY BOOK
Last year, McAllister Towing & Transportation Co., New York, NY, celebrated its 150th anniversary of providing marine transportation, towing and harbor services. The beautifully bound hard cover book recounts the history of the five generations of the McAllister family and the tugboat business. The company was founded by James McAllister, who arrived in New York City following a shipwreck and soon bought his first sail lighter in 1864. From those humble beginnings, the distinctive red and white striped funnels of McAllister tugs can be seen from Portland, ME, to San Juan, PR.
McAllister currently has one ABS-classed 5,000-hp Z-drive reverse tractor tug on order at Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, FL. The word on the street is that the company is in serious discussions with another shipyard regarding the construction of at least two other harbor tugs.
Eastern Shipbuilding also recently launched the H. Douglas M, the first in a series of four 5,150 hp escort tugs for Bay-Houston Towing. The 80 ft x 38 ft tug is based on a Z-Tech 2400 Class design by Robert Allan Ltd. Delivery of the escort tug is scheduled for early 2016.
The same design is being built by Eastern Shipbuilding for a series of four tugs for Suderman & Young. G&H Towing is the owners’ onsite representative and agent during the engineering, construction, and delivery for both Bay-Houston and Suderman & Young Towing.
WIND FARM VESSEL TAKES SHAPE
In Warren, RI, the first U.S.-flag wind farm vessel is taking shape at Blount Boats, Inc. Blount Boats President Marcia Blount says the 21-meter aluminum catamaran will be ready for delivery in April 2016.
Rhode Island Fast Ferry will operate the boat for Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island. The five turbine wind farm, the first commercial wind farm in the U.S., is expected to be up and running by the fourth quarter of next year.
The catamaran is a Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) based on a design licensed from South Boats (IOW), Isle of Wight, the U.K., one of the leading designers and manufacturers of wind farm vessels in Europe. South Boats IOW has designed and built some 85 CTV’s for the European offshore wind sector.
Blount Boats is eyeing the progress of offshore wind energy closely, says Marcia Blount.
Blount Boats also is building a passenger vessel for Chicago’s Shoreline Sightseeing. Shoreline Sightseeing provides guided architecture tours on the Chicago River, as well as classic tours on Lake Michigan and “Brew Cruises” and wine-tasting cruises.
NEW BOATS FOR CIRCLE LINE
About a 20-minute ride from Warren, RI, is the shipyard of Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, a Duclos Corporation in Somerset, MA. Known for their construction of aluminum, multi-hull vessels based on IncatCrowther designs, the Massachusetts shipbuilder is actually building three all-steel 600-passenger vessels for Circle Line Sightseeing Yachts, Inc., New York, NY. The 165 ft x 34 ft were designed by DeJong & Lebet, Jacksonville, FL. Those boats are due for delivery in the spring.
It’s also building a 493-passenger ferry for Hy-Line Cruises due for delivery in 2016.
One of the latest deliveries from Gladding-Hearn is the Manatee, a 28-knot Chesapeake Class launch and the first in a new generation of the popular, mid-size pilot boats for the Tampa Bay Pilots Association.
The boat continues a successful partnership between Gladding-Hearn and C. Raymond Hunt Associates, Inc., New Bedford, MA.
The Somerset, MA, shipyard introduced the Chesapeake Class pilot boat in 2003. Since then, 15 have been delivered to pilot associations throughout the U.S.
The latest improvements incorporate the performance benefits of Volvo Penta’s IPS2 inboard propulsion system.
“The IPS2 system was created to improve the performance and the arrangement of planning hulls like our pilot boats,” says Peter Duclos, the shipyard’s president. “This new generation of Chesapeake launches, named Chesapeake Class MKII, is equipped with the IPS2 pods, which provide what pilots have been asking for: higher speeds, lower fuel consumption, and more comfort.”
With a deep-V hull designed by C. Raymond Hunt & Associates, the all-aluminum pilot boat measures 52.7 ft overall, with a 16.8-ft beam and a 4.5-ft draft.
It is powered by two Volvo Penta D11, six cylinder, EPA Tier 3 diesel engines, each producing 503 bhp at 2,250 rev/min. Each engine is connected to a Volvo Penta IPS propulsion pod, which is fitted with dual forward-facing, counter-rotating propellers and integrated exhaust system, and Volvo Penta’s integrated EPS electronic steering and control system.
The EPS control system and three-axis joystick increases the boat’s overall maneuverability alongside a ship and when docking, says Duclos.
The financial incentive for the Tampa Bay pilots to optimize fuel economy, vessel handling and comfort led the shipyard to install a Humphree Interceptor automatic trim- optimization system.
“The combination of the Volvo Penta IPS system and the Humphree interceptors gives the pilots higher speeds and improved comfort, while burning 25 percent less fuel than similar Chesapeake Class launches,” says Duclos.
Key design changes to the Chesapeake Class MKII include positioning the wheelhouse aft of amidships to improve comfort and provide for a larger foredeck.
With the pods close-coupled to the engines, the engine room is located well aft of the wheelhouse with easy access to machinery through a deck hatch.
This new generation of pilot boats is also designed to accept a gyro-stabilization system, designed to reduce vessel roll.
MIX OF REPAIR AT DETYENS
This past year, there has been a good mix of commercial and government repair at Detyens Shipyards, Inc., Charleston, SC, according to the company’s Bradley Kerr. “We have recently completed work on two German owned-container vessels, a pair of casino vessels and have the usual tugs and barge units, dredge vessel and other similar harbor barges are rolling through. We also have recently won MSC contracts on the Button and Spearhead as well as the Atlantis from Woods Hole.”
The largest commercial ship repair yard on the U.S. East Coast, Detyens also recently finished repairs on the USCG Elm and will begin work on the NOAA vessel Gordon Gunter soon. The Dredge Wheeler is also in the shipyard.
This past spring and summer, Detyens dry docked the ferries 28,460 gt M/V Highlanders and 18,523 gt M/V Leif Ericson for Marine Atlantic, Inc., St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.
FERRY REPOWER AT CADDELL
Over the next five years, the Delaware River and Bay Authority, owner and operator of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, plans to repower its entire fleet with cleaner burning, more fuel efficient Tier 3-compliant diesel engines.
The first of those ferries, the Delaware, arrived at Caddell Dry Dock on Staten Island, NY, on November 2 to begin the four- to five-month repower project in conjunction with its regulatory required five-year drydocking.
According to James Gillespie, Chief Port Engineer for the Cape May Lewes ferry, the Delaware is expected to return to service in April of 2016. The dry-docking is expected to cost $3.5 million.
“We’re excited to begin our vessel repowering program,” says Heath Gehrke, Director of Operations for the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. “These new engines not only burn less fuel and are more efficient, but emissions are reduced by nearly 40 percent. By undertaking this effort, we can significantly extend the useful life of our fleet and provide a cleaner environment in the communities we serve.”
Gehrke also notes that the ferry expects to save about $130,000 per year in maintenance costs associated with old engines and that the new clean diesel engines have the capability to be converted to operate on natural gas in the future.
The existing Fairbanks Morse engines are overhauled and rebuilt every 10,000 hours of usage compared to every 30,000 hours for the new EMD (Electro-Motive Division) engines. The engines were purchased from Marine Systems Inc. at a cost of $1.8 million.
While at the shipyard, the vessel will have other modifications and improvements completed, including the installation of a new gray water recovery system, new stainless steel railings and new propeller shaft seal system; installation of a new keel cooler system for main engine and generator cooling; and the bow thruster system will be overhauled.
To further assist the University of Delaware’s water research efforts on the Delaware Bay, the SeaKeeper seawater monitoring system, which collects water quality data while a vessel transits the Delaware Bay, will be installed on the MV Delaware.
During a ceremony held at the Lewes Ferry terminal in December 2014, U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin announced the award of a Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grant of $970,000 to help facilitate the project. The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) sought the grant funding through the National Clean Diesel Assistance Program, which focuses on reducing emissions at ports under the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA).
The M/V Delaware is currently equipped with two Fairbanks Morse 38D8-1/8 propulsion engines with a power rating of 2,060 horsepower each. More than 40 years old, these workhorse engines are approaching 100,000 operating hours or the equivalent of 1.5 million miles. In addition, because the engines are no longer built, spare parts are both difficult to find and expensive.
Within the next five years, the Authority plans to repower the other vessels in the Cape May – Lewes Ferry fleet: the MV New Jersey and MV Cape Henlopen.
The current downturn in the offshore oil market is probably one of the most severe since the 1980s. Oil companies are deeply cutting E&P spending for 2016. During its midyear analysis of the oil market, investment banker Cowen & Company reported that it expected global E&P expenditures in 2015 are now estimated to be down by 22% from the 2014 level to $545 billion. The “Original E&P Spending Survey,” initiated by Cowen’s James Crandell, estimates a 13 percent decline in E&P spending by the super majors— ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, BP, ENI, ConocoPhillips and Total—for next year.
Offshore drillers are feeling the pinch—as are the shipyards that support them. Last month, another South Korean shipbuilding giant was hit with the cancellation of an offshore drilling unit order.
Pacific Drilling S.A. exercised its right to rescind the construction contract for the ultra-deepwater drillship Pacific Zonda “due to the failure by Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) to timely deliver a vessel that substantially meets the criteria required for completion of the vessel in accordance with the construction contract and its specifications.”
Pacific Drilling says it made advance payments totaling $181.1 million under the shipbuilding contract, and will be seeking a refund of the installment payments.
The company inked a contract for the drillship with Samsung Heavy on January 25, 2013 that provided for a delivery date of March 31, 2015.
The cancellation comes after the October 27 news that Fred Olsen Energy had cancelled an semisubmersible drilling rig order at Hyundai Heavy Industries and the October 26 announcement that Transocean, Shell and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) had agreed to push back the operating and delivery contracts of two newbuild ultra-deepwater drillships – the Deepwater Pontus and the Deepwater Poseidon – by 12 months each.
Transocean is also scrapping rigs. Cowen & Company reports that the latest is GSF Rig 135, bringing the total number of scrapped rigs by company since October 2014 to 21, by far the largest number of retired units by any company this down cycle. Cowen and Company says, “With 14 rigs still cold stacked, we expect further rig retirements are likely.”
OSV operators hunker down
To survive in such a challenging environment, offshore support vessel operators have been hunkering down, enacting cost controls, including cold stacking vessels and preserving cash.
That was the strategy outlined last month by Hornbeck Offshore Services Chairman Todd Hornbeck during a recent conference call discussing the company’s third quarter of 2015 results. Hornbeck Offshore Services (HOS), with a fleet of 66 offshore support vessels (OSVs) and Multi-purpose Support Vessels (MPSVs), currently has 27 vessels stacked and expected to stack an additional 3 vessels by the end of the year.
When you cold stack a vessel, it means that you preserve that asset until there is an upturn in the market (and a rise in dayrates) that justifies putting that piece of equipment back in service. Cold stacking cuts OPEX costs. The downside is that you lay off valuable mariners and shoreside staff that are involved in operations.
CFO Jim Harp says that those 30 stacked vessels would save about $125 million in costs on an annual basis. HOS had also delayed cash outlays of $10 million on regulatory dry docks in 2015 by stacking vessels and expected to save $15 million in regulatory dry docking costs in 2016.
On a deadweight tonnage basis, the 30 stacked vessels represent 81,000 dwt or 28 percent of the company’s 295,000 dwt fleet. Hornbeck’s entire remaining operational fleet will be high spec 300 Class vessels and Multi-Purpose Service Vessels, all 6,000 dwt and above, DP2 Jones Act vessels.
Hornbeck believes that market conditions will continue to deteriorate and that the next two quarters are “going to be choppy.”
HOS has taken delivery of 17 of the 24 vessels under its HOSMAX newbuild program and another three OSVs will be delivered before the end of this year. There are an additional four MPSVs under construction for delivery in 2016. HOS has newbuild programs at Eastern Shipbuilding in Panama City, FL, Leevac Shipyards in Jennings, LA, and VT Halter Marine at Moss Point, MS.
HOS is trying to push back the delivery dates from the shipyards. “We are delaying their delivery as much as we can. We’re slowing the build process down to better align for the market recovery,” says Hornbeck, “and tweaking systems to make sure they are going to be the most optimal for the customer.” Hornbeck says the system modifications are based on the operational experience of the previously delivered HOSMAX vessels in the newbuild program.
A silver lining for HOS has been the sale of four 350 EDF Class OSVs to the Navy. During the quarter, HOS received $38 million for the sales of the fourth vessel to the U.S. Navy. As a result, HOS received $152 million for the purchase of the vessels and continues to operate them under contract. “It was a timely development during the industry downturn,” says Harp.
Investment analyst J.B. Lowe of Cowen & Company rates HOS as an “outperform.” In his latest equity research, Lowe outlines some of the highs and lows for the company during the quarter. “Effective utilization across the 41.5 average vessels that were active during the quarter (i.e., excluding the 18.1 average stacked vessels) was 72.2%, below our forecast for 43.0 average vessels and 76.8% utilization. Average OSV dayrates of $25,699 fell 3% shy of our estimate of $26,428, while off-hire days were 17% higher than we had forecast. While the company continued to withhold data on its MPSV segment for competitive purposes, we note that our estimated MPSV segment revenue of $37.5mm was 7% below our $40mm forecast. The OSV segment was even weaker, by our estimate, with revenues of ~$71mm trailing our ~$80mm forecast by 12%.”
Continues Lowe, “Although cost guidance for full-year 2015 was lowered by ~7% at the midpoint (to $223.9-$228.9mm from $238-$248mm), we do not expect it will be enough to alleviate investor concern over the weakness of the GOM market.
“Additionally, 2016 cost guidance was not released and will likely be a focus on the call this morning. Full-year 2015 G&A guidance was also lowered to $49.1-$50.1mm (from $50-$53mm).”
Shares of publicly traded OSV operators have been under pressure and are now trading substantially lower than they were one year ago (see Table 1). Last month, GulfMark Offshore, Inc., went so far as to part ways with its Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer David Rosenwasser.
It would be no surprise during this downturn to see some consolidation among OSV operators as well as the shipyards that support them.
Harvey Gulf International Marine, New Orleans, LA, which purchased the Gulf Coast Shipyard Group, in June, has put the Trinity Yachts business up for sale. The sale would include the New Orleans facility, 20 fully engineered designs and a partially built 168 ft megayacht.
Squeezing out old tonnage
The current conditions are squeezing out older tonnage that might not ever return to the market.
According to Clarksons Platou, there are currently 5,301 OSVs in service and another 602 on order. The average fleet growth over the last 10 years has been 7 percent.
In its monthly blog examining the surplus of offshore support vessels in the market, Clarksons questions whether OSV operators will follow the lead of Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) operators are begin to scrap vessels.
“OSV demand has fallen—at least 11% of the total fleet was laid up at start September,” writes Clarksons. “So far in 2015, 23 removals have been recorded from the OSV fleet (18 AHTS/AHT and 5 PSV/Supply vessels). For AHTS/AHTs this is a 29% increase on 2014 on an annualized basis. PSV removals, however, are down by 46%. In either case, the number of removals seems below what might be expected given the challenging market conditions.”
Clarksons points to several reasons for the low number of removals from the OSV market. It says the “likely reason for the low uptake in OSV removals relative to the MODU sector is that there is comparatively more value in scrapping rigs (in particular, floaters), compared to OSVs, on account of their larger size and steel content.
“Furthermore, it is relatively easy and cost-effective to lay-up or stack OSVs, which has been the preferred option for owners—at least 340 AHTSs and 254 PSVs are estimated to be laid up, although in reality this number may be even greater. Similarly, the sale of vessels for use in other sectors (e.g. utility support) provides some means of reducing active vessel numbers, although sales activity for OSVs in 2015 is currently down by 25% on an annualized basis.”
But Clarkson sees stacking as a temporary solution because the current size of the orderbook is “equivalent to 11% of the active fleet and, although some slippage is expected, 293 units are slated for delivery by end 2015.”
Clarksons concludes that with no significant upturn in oil prices likely in the near term, it expects pressures to continue. It says that fleet growth stands at 2.3% year-over-year, and “the issue of OSV oversupply is expected to remain significant. Against this background, the discussion of removals is likely to be ongoing theme.
Another important milestone was marked last week, with the installation of three LNG fuel tanks in the first ship.
The double-walled, stainless steel tanks – which are 110 feet in length and 20.6 feet in diameter – weigh 225 metric tons and will hold more than enough LNG fuel for two round-trip voyages between the vessel’s future ports of call, Jacksonville, FL, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“While we are all excitedly watching these ships take shape, we are particularly proud of the role we, as a company, are playing to bring the most modern, technologically advanced and environmentally friendly ConRo ships in the world to the Jones Act market of Puerto Rico,” said Tom Crowley, company chairman and CEO. “There are no other ships of their kind being built anywhere else in the world today, and they are being constructed right here at home – in the United States of America. Having that shipbuilding capability here is essential to our national defense and an important reason we as a country need the Jones Act to be maintained and strengthened.”
Crowley’s two Jones Act ConRo ships, which will be named El Coquí (ko-kee) and Taíno (tahy-noh), are are scheduled for delivery second and fourth quarter 2017 respectively.
“It’s very impressive to see these new state-of-the-art Commitment Class ships take shape,” said John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico services. “Seeing those LNG tanks being placed into El Coquí really resonates with me because we are setting a new standard for environmentally responsible shipping.”
The Commitment Class ships have been designed to maximize the carriage of 53-foot, 102-inch-wide containers, which offer the most cubic cargo capacity in the trade.
The ships will be 219.5 meters long, 32.3 meters wide , have a deep draft of 10 meters, and an approximate deadweight capacity of 26,500 metric tonnes. Cargo capacity will be approximately 2,400 TEUs (20-foot-equivalent-units), with additional space for nearly 400 vehicles in an enclosed Ro/Ro garage.
Each ship will be powered by an MAN B&W 8S70ME-GI8.2 main engine and three MAN 9L28/32DF auxiliary engines, all fueled by LNG .
The ship design is provided by Wartsila Ship Design in conjunction with Crowley subsidiary Jensen Maritime.
