Shipbuilding News, April 2015

Aker delivers second Aframax tanker to SeaRiver

Aker Philadelphia Shipyard Inc. (APSI) delivered its second Aframax tanker to SeaRiver Maritime Inc., Exxon Mobil Corp.'s U.S. marine affiliate.

The 820-foot, 115,000-dwt Eagle Bay will transport up to 800,000 barrels of Alaskan North Slope crude oil from Prince William Sound, Alaska, to the U.S. West Coast. The vessel is double hulled and equipped with the latest technology for key systems such as the main engine and controls for economy and performance. The ship's main engine and auxiliary systems are energy efficient and generate lower air emissions than required by regulatory standards.

The shipbuilder delivered its first Aframax Tanker, Liberty Bay, to SeaRiver in 2014. APSI is currently building four 50,000-dwt product tankers for Crowley. In addition the company has contracts for two 50,000-dwt product tankers for Philly Tankers LLC and two 3,600-TEU containerships for Matson Navigation, with deliveries in 2018.

Ingalls christens LPD 26 — John P. Murtha

Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division, Pascagoula, Miss., christened the company's 10th amphibious transport dock, John P. Murtha (LPD 26) on March 20. The San Antonio-class ship is named for Pennsylvania congressman John Patrick "Jack" Murtha, Jr., a Democrat who represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010.

HII President and Chief Executive Mike Petters spoke at the ceremony. "Ingalls is building each ship better than the last, and the team's performance — and the performance of the delivered LPDs — has strengthened the nation's confidence in the LPD program," he said. "This was most recently demonstrated by the Navy's request and the congressional investment in the 12th San Antonio-class warship — and the Navy's selection of this proven hull-form for its new LX(R) class of amphibious ships. Ingalls is making a difference."

The San Antonio class is the latest addition to the Navy's 21st-century amphibious assault force. The 684-foot-long, 105-foot-wide ships are used to embark and land Marines, their equipment and supplies ashore via air cushion or conventional landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles, augmented by helicopters or vertical takeoff and landing aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey.

The ships support a Marine Air Ground Task Force across the spectrum of operations, from conducting amphibious and expeditionary missions of sea control and power projection, to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions throughout the first half of the 21st century.

Two new Robert Allan tugs for Harley Marine Services

Harley Marine Services of Seattle added two new ship-handling vessels to its fleet in late March. Built by Diversified Marine in Portland, Ore., they are an improved version of Harley's existing RAmparts 2500 Z-drive tugs, Tim Quigg and John Quigg, designed by Robert Allan.

The first of the two, Michelle Sloan, was delivered in late March and its sister class vessel, Lela Franco, will be delivered in three months. 

The vessels will each have a length of 80 feet, a beam of 36 feet and a draft of 16 feet, 8 inches. The 5,200-hp tugs are able to deliver 65 tons of bollard pull. Each is equipped with two Caterpillar 3516 Tier 3 engines and two 125-kW John Deere 6068 Tier 3 generators. The cutting-edge engines reduce NOx and particulate matter by 74 percent compared with Tier 2.

Each tug is equipped with a Markey bow winch, a barge-handling stern winch and Shibata fendering. Soundproofing material has been added to the bulkheads and decks to improve life on board the vessel for the crew.

A closed circuit TV (CCTV) has been installed to the engine room. The CCTV can be accessed from the wheelhouse or ashore for management to monitor. The vessels are being built with the most technically and environmentally advanced equipment available and will exceed all regulatory, internal and customers' needs and expectations.

Kvichak to build research vessel for state of California

Kvichak Marine Industries Inc. was awarded a contract for construction of a 60-foot aluminum catamaran research vessel for the California Department of Water Resources in March. The new vessel was designed by Incat Crowther of Australia, with design guidance and customer representation by Jensen Maritime Consultants. 

The vessel’s primary mission will be monitoring water quality, plankton and benthic macro-invertebrates. The vessel will be operating in the San Francisco Bay Estuary, San Pablo Bay Estuary and the Pacific Ocean within five miles of shore and the adjoining inland waterways.   

The vessel will be powered by twin Cummins QSB6.7 diesel engines rated for 425 hp at 2,800 rpm and fitted to Twin Disc MGX5065 marine gears.  The vessel has a pilothouse laboratory and can accommodate five scientists. Delivery is scheduled for the first quarter of 2016.

Thoma-Sea delivers shallow-draft survey vessel 

A new shallow-draft survey vessel built by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors was delivered to Fugro Geoservices, Inc. of Patterson, La., for work in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel was delivered March 18 and was built under the supervision of Fugro Marine Services Custom. The new vessel is fitted with the latest geophysical survey equipment and houses some of the most advanced instrumentation in the field.

Fugro Americas is optimized for working in the Gulf of Mexico. It is suited for operations in other geographical areas, being permanently mobilized and available for rapid deployment to locations throughout North and South America as well as the Caribbean. The 193-foot vessel is capable of carrying out a range of offshore services including high-resolution geophysical and light geotechnical surveys in water depths of up to 14,700 feet. Fugro Americas is built to operate Fugro’s new 4,500-meter-rated Hugin 1000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Echo Surveyor VII, which was delivered in December 2014. Specialist equipment on the new survey vessel includes a dynamic positioning system and state-of-the-art survey systems, including a deepwater EM302 multibeam echosounder to be used for gas seep surveys.

Gladding-Hearn begins work on three sightseeing ferries for Circle Line

Construction is underway for three new sightseeing vessels for New York Cruise Lines, a Circle Line company. Keel-laying was held at the Somerset, Mass., shipyard in January, in commemoration of the Circle Line’s 70th anniversary year. The new boat order follows the shipyard’s delivery of three sister ships for the company in 2009. Delivery of the first new vessel is scheduled for 2016.

Like the earlier vessels, the new 600-passenger all-steel vessel, designed by DeJong & Lebet NA in Jacksonville, Fla., measures 165 feet in length and features a 34-foot beam.

With a top speed of 14 knots, the vessel will be powered by twin Cummins QSK-38M1 diesel engines, delivering a total of 2,600 hp and connected to ZF W3355 gear boxes, spinning 60-inch, five-bladed bronze propellers. For dockside maneuvering, the vessel is equipped with a 125-hp Wesmar bow thruster, powered by an electric motor. Two 140-kW generators will supply the ship’s service power. The vessel will carry 8,200 gallons of fuel and 4,000 gallons of potable water.

The pilothouse is equipped with port and starboard wing stations, in addition to the center console.

Interior accommodations include seating and tables for 275 passengers in the main cabin. The second deck provides seating and tables for another 150 passengers indoors, plus reserved seating for up to 50 VIP passengers and outdoor seating for 88 passengers. Aft of the pilothouse on the third deck will be outdoor seating for 84 passengers under a fixed canopy. The cabins are arranged for significantly improved concession areas, cocktail bars and wheelchair-accessible heads. Heating and air conditioning is supplied by a 210,000-btu diesel-fired boiler and six 10-ton water-cooled chillers.

A crew room is located below the main deck and will be outfitted with storage cabinets, a refrigerator, shower and head and walk-in cooler.     

By Professional Mariner Staff