Shipbuilding News January 2012

Vane Brothers orders seventh tug from Chesapeake Shipbuilding

Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp. of Salisbury, Md., has signed a contract with Vane Brothers of Baltimore to build another new oceangoing tug. The contract represents the seventh tug that Chesapeake Shipbuilding will have built for Vane Brothers in just over five years. 

The new tug, designated Hull 105, will be nearly identical to the previous six tugboats built for Vane Brothers. It will be equipped with twin Caterpillar 3512 main engines producing a combined 3,000 horsepower, and a single-drum hydraulic winch from JonRie of New Jersey. The tug — 94 feet long with a 32-foot beam and a 13-foot draft — will have accommodations for seven crewmembers.

Chesapeake Shipbuilding has recently made significant upgrades to its facility and will build the tug in a controlled indoor environment.

 

Huntington Ingalls wins $113 million aircraft carrier contract

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division (NNS) has been awarded a $113 million contract from the U.S. Navy to continue ship and propulsion plant design engineering and engineering services for the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79). 

"This award allows us to continue focusing our efforts on what we do best, and that's designing and building superior warships," said Mike Shawcross, a NNS vice president. "We are very pleased to continue preparing for the construction of John F. Kennedy. This funding will allow us to capture lessons learned from Gerald R. Ford and apply them to the next ship in the class to most efficiently and cost-effectively build this great ship for our nation."

John F. Kennedy is the second ship in the Gerald R. Ford class, the Navy's latest class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The ship's first steel was cut in December 2010. The current schedule calls for construction on John F. Kennedy to begin in early 2013 with delivery scheduled for 2020.

 

Metal Trades Inc. completes Navy fuel barge

Metal Trades Inc. of Hollywood, S.C., has completed construction of two double-hull fuel barges for the U.S. Navy as a subcontractor to Maybank Industries of Charleston, S.C.

The ABS-classed 7,000-barrel barges are designed to carry diesel and JP-5 fuel in four cargo tanks within a hull that is 180 feet long and 44 feet wide. 

These two barges are being delivered to Pacific Naval Facilities. The two barges, YON-332 and YON-333, were designed by Bristol Harbor Group, of Bristol, R.I. Metal Trades will be launching two more double-hull barges in 2012 for the Navy, with final delivery to U.S. Naval facilities on the East Coast. 

According to Randy Brown, Metal Trades' vice president of operations and barge construction program manager, "We are proud of the extremely positive feedback that we received from our government customer during the recent delivery trials. Metal Trades has raised the bar in terms of overall quality for these types of barges. I think this is attributable to the fact that our barges are built with a great deal of pride by some of the best welders and craftsman in the business."

 

Huntington Ingalls delivers a sixth amphibious transport dock

Huntington Ingalls Industries has delivered the company's sixth amphibious transport dock, San Diego (LPD 22), to the U.S. Navy. 

The ship was delivered in a brief ceremony on Dec. 19 at Ingalls Shipbuilding.

"This delivery exemplifies the unique skill and craftsmanship of our shipbuilders," said Doug Lounsberry, Ingalls Shipbuilding's vice president and program manager, LPD 17 program. "What we are accomplishing collectively in the LPD program with the Navy and our Supervisor of Shipbuilding partners proves the value of our shipbuilding knowledge. This shipbuilding program, which includes vendors and businesses from 39 different states, demonstrates a solid business plan which continues to progress. The U.S. Navy sailors and Marines will have a safe, extremely reliable vessel built with pride and a deep commitment to our war fighters to provide them the most capable ships in the fleet in which to perform their diverse mission."

LPD 22 is scheduled to be commissioned in the spring of 2012 in San Diego. It is the fourth ship named in honor of the military town and largest Navy base in the Pacific.

San Antonio-class ships are 684 feet long and 105 feet wide and displace approximately 25,000 tons. Their principal mission is to deploy the combat and support elements of Marine Expeditionary Units and Brigades. The ships can carry up to 800 troops and have the capability of transporting and debarking landing craft air cushion (LCAC) or conventional landing crafts, augmented by helicopters or vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft such as the MV-22. 

The ships will support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions. The LPD 17-class ships are a key element of the Navy's ability to project power ashore. 

Ingalls has now built and delivered the first six ships in the class. Four more under construction.

 

Jensen Maritime Consultants completes the design of three Moran tugs 

Jensen Maritime Consultants of Seattle, a design and engineering division of Crowley Maritime, has completed the design of three new tugs for Moran Towing Corp. of New Canaan, Conn. The additional boats will bring Moran's Jensen-designed series of tugboats to five. The tugs are currently under construction at the Washburn & Doughty Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine.

The three new boats are similar in design to two earlier z-drive tugs designed by Jensen, Capt. Jimmy Moran and Shiney V. Moran, which were built in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The two new tugs will differ from the earlier tugs by virtue of upgrades to the internal elements. These upgrades will ensure that the piping and electrical systems are consistent with Moran's larger fleet of tugs and barges.

"Moran asked us to design three more of these tugs because they were so impressed with their maneuverability and compact power," said Jensen Vice President Johan Sperling. "We are pleased to continue our relationship with Moran and to contribute to their ship assist and escort fleet with more of these highly capable vessels."

The tugs are 86 feet in length and 36 feet in breadth. Jensen has designed this series of tugs to provide a maneuverable and powerful fleet for ship assist and escort work on the East Coast. 

Equipped with twin Schottel 1215 z-drive propulsion units and MTU 16V 4000 engines, the tugs have more than 5,000 hp at their disposal. A deep skeg forward is included in the design for escort work, but the skeg will remain open at the aft end to allow for better maneuverability. The skeg also provides for a more stable platform when the vessels are underway, minimizing rolling. An escort hawser winch will also be installed forward. Each tug will also have an H-bitt and hydraulic capstan installed for aft towing and linehandling.

Additionally, large-machinery removal hatches are provided in the main deck and deckhouse to allow for easy removal of equipment from the engine room. Berths for six crewmembers will be installed in four staterooms.

Construction of the three new tugs began in early 2011. Delivery is scheduled for the second and third quarters of 2012.

 

By Professional Mariner Staff