Eastern delivers new towboat to Florida Marine
Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc. announced the delivery of M/V Kimberly Hidalgo (Hull 188) to Florida Marine Transporters Inc., of Mandeville, La., in August.
The towboat is one of a series of three vessels recently delivered to Florida Marine with EPA Tier 3 main propulsion engines and generators. The vessel is powered by two Caterpillar 3512C Tier 3 diesel engines rated at 1,500 hp at 1,600 rpm. The reduction gears are Twin-Disc Model MG-5600 with a 6.04:1 reduction supplied by Stewart Supply Inc., of Harvey, La. Electrical power is provided by two 99kW John Deere 4045AFM85 99KW Tier 3 generator sets rated for 60 Hz, at 208 VAC provided by Kennedy Engine Co. of Biloxi, Miss. The engines comply with the current EPA Tier 3/MARPOL control of emissions of nitrogen oxides from marine diesel engines.
This series of towboats originally began with a 25-vessel contract with on-time deliveries starting in 2006. It has expanded to become the largest single-builder, single-owner new construction program of the same class towboat design in United States history.
Eastern Shipbuilding completes Columbia
On April 17, 1923, the original schooner Columbia was launched in Essex, Mass. Ninety-one years later, a steel replica of Columbia (ESG Hull 981) was launched at a Panama City, Fla., yard.
The launch was held on Aug. 23 at Eastern’s Nelson Street facility with employees, dignitaries and guests in attendance. At the christening ceremony, Eastern Shipbuilding owner Brian D’Isernia spoke about the journey of bringing Columbia back to life and the teamwork of the companies involved. He thanked the men and women that made it all possible.
U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., spoke about the teamwork and dedication of putting together a vessel like Columbia. Father Roy Marien of Saint John’s Catholic Church of Panama City performed the blessing of the vessel. Brian’s wife, Mimi D’Isernia, had the honor of christening Columbia.
The original Columbia was a 141-foot Gloucester fishing schooner built at the historic A.D. Story shipyard of Essex. Essex was the center for North American fishing schooner construction. Designed by the innovative William Starling Burgess, Columbia was designed for speed.
In the fall of 1923, Columbia challenged the Canadian schooner Bluenose in the International Fishermen's Cup Races in Halifax. Columbia was narrowly defeated by Bluenose in the race.
Tragedy struck August 24, 1927, near Sable Island, the notorious “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” where Columbia was lost with all hands in a gale.
Decades later, Brian D’Isernia discovered the original lines for Columbia at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum. He took the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of bringing a significant piece of maritime history back to life.
Fast response boat for SE Ocean Response Services
Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding/Duclos Co. has delivered the first multi-purpose fast-response pilot boat in North America with firefighting capabilities and equipped with Volvo Penta’s Dynamic Positioning System.
The vessel owner, Southeast Ocean Response Services, a sister company to the Charleston Branch Pilots Association, took delivery Aug. 20. The all-aluminum vessel, designed jointly by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard and C. Raymond Hunt Associates, has a deep-V hull, measuring 64.11 feet overall, with a 21.4-foot beam and a 6-foot draft. Designed to meet its primary mission of supporting major offshore salvage operations by other companies between Morehead City, N.C., and St. Augustine, Fla., the vessel will also serve as a fireboat for the Port of Charleston, a supply boat to ships offshore of the harbor, and a back-up pilot boat for the Charleston pilots.
The 12-passenger boat features three IPS pods, each powered by a Volvo D13-700, EPA Tier 3 diesel engine, producing 700 bhp at 2,300 rpm. The vessel’s top speed is over 28 knots loaded. “We went with triple IPS drives because we could use smaller engines with a range of about 400 nautical miles and still get the required speed with 30 percent improved fuel efficiency and EPA Tier 3 technology,” said Winn Willard, a vice president with C. Raymond Hunt. A Volvo IPS integrated control system provides for three stations with three-axis joysticks—at the wheelhouse console and at two aft docking stations—to control the engine speed and pod steering. The vessel is equipped with the Humphree Interceptor trim-control system, with active ride control. “This boat’s maneuverability and handling are further enhanced by the Volvo Dynamic Positioning System, especially when holding in a stationary position on the ocean is essential,” added Peter Duclos, the shipyard’s president.
The vessel’s firefighting system includes a pair of monitors that supplies seawater from a 3,500-gpm Hale pump, which runs off the vessel’s middle engine. For petrochemical fires, there is a foam-concentrate injection system that automatically proportions four to 20 gallons-per-minute to a single injection point. A hydraulic knuckle-boom crane, aft of the main cabin, services a 10,000-pound cargo deck. At the transom, recessed steps lead to a rescue platform. On the roof of the main cabin is the pilots’ boarding platform.
Below the main deck is the forecastle, with a fully equipped galley, head and separate shower, and four berths. A 96,000-BTU seawater-cooled air conditioning system cools the vessel’s interior.
Moose Boats delivers patrol boat to NYPD
Boat designer and manufacturer in the San Francisco Bay Area, Moose Boats, said it has delivered a M2-35 catamaran patrol boat to New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) Harbor Unit.
The 35-foot all-aluminum catamaran vessel is a sister ship to NYPD’s three existing Moose Boats M2-35 catamarans, the first of which has been in service since December 2009. The vessel will be responsible for patrol, search and rescue, recovery and dive operations in New York Harbor and the East and Hudson rivers.
Propulsion is achieved by twin Yamaha 350-hp four-stroke outboards. A Northern Lights generator powers integrated heated decks and windows as well as reverse cycle air conditioning.
The Moose Boat is fitted with heavy-duty bow fenders and a UHMW rub strake to allow NYPD to deploy personnel onto the City’s piers. A large foredeck locker houses radiation detection equipment to support counter-terrorism patrols.
New York City police utilized FEMA Port Security Grant Program funding to purchase the vessel from Moose Boats. The boat builder said it has constructed patrol and law enforcement vessels for a multitude of agencies throughout the United States since 2000. Moose Boats currently has patrol craft under construction for New Jersey State Police, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Richmond Police Department and U.S. Park Police.
Vigor completes repower of Alaska’s flagship ferry
Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) reported in August that the repower of the M/V Columbia has been completed.
EBDG provided design services and ongoing owner support services for the ferry's repower, which was performed by Vigor Marine's Portland, Ore., shipyard.
"The Columbia was designed for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) by EBDG's predecessor firm, so we're intimately familiar with the vessel and its systems," said EBDG Project Manager Matt Williamson. "The main engines were at the end of their useful life and the AMHS opted for replacing them, along with replacing or upgrading drive train components and auxiliary systems where it made economic sense. Replacing the main engines is a significant undertaking in the life a vessel. EBDG's strong familiarity with the Columbia made us the natural choice as the designer for this repowering project."
According to AMHS, the original main engines, two Enterprise DMRV-16-4, V-16 cylinder diesels, developing 6,500 hp each, were installed as original equipment almost 40 years ago and had accumulated over 125,000 hours of operation. The two new Wärtsilä 9L32 main engines each develop 7,000 hp from nine cylinders configured in-line.
The repower included replacing all ancillary equipment to the engines, including pumps, motors, valves, heat exchangers and piping for the lube oil systems, engine cooling systems, air pressure systems and fuel systems. New Lufkin reduction gears will completed the repower.
For nearly 40 years Columbia has been the Alaska Marine Highway System's flagship vessel, linking Inside Passage communities. The 418-foot vessel accommodates 625 passengers and features two vehicle decks with capacity for 134 vehicles.
