Metal Shark, Horizon to build new NYC ferries
The company that will operate a new commuter ferry service in New York City has chosen Metal Shark and Horizon Shipbuilding to build its new high-speed aluminum ferries. Incat Crowther will design the 85-foot boats.
HNY Ferry Fleet LLC, a Hornblower subsidiary, plans to begin the Citywide Ferry Service next summer and add additional routes in 2018. The 149-passenger vessels will have a 25-knot operating speed with wireless Internet, bicycle and stroller space, outlets to charge electronics, “infotainment” screens and other passenger amenities.
“Hornblower conducted an exhaustive amount of market research during the course of their search for builders, and we are honored to have been chosen,” Metal Shark President Chris Allard said in a news release. “We are confident in our ability to meet the time frames and deliver on this challenging and exciting project from the first vessel to the last.”
Horizon Shipbuilding President Travis Shor said, “The ferry delivery schedule is ambitious, but we’re no stranger to these type of projects and do not foresee any problem delivering these vessels on time.”
The mass transit ferry service will launch next summer with routes connecting South Brooklyn, Astoria and Rockaway with Manhattan. Routes serving the Lower East Side and Soundview in the Bronx are expected to begin in 2018. Each ride will cost the same as a subway fare, and some 4.6 million trips are expected per year.
City officials said they planned to build at least 18 of the new high-speed ferries. It wasn’t immediately clear how many ferries each yard will build.
Young Brothers orders four Tier 4 tugboats
Hawaiian towing company Young Brothers has ordered four oceangoing tugboats from Conrad Shipyard of Morgan City, La. The 6,000-hp Kapena-class vessels will enter service in 2018 and 2019, delivering cargo to Hawaiian island communities.
The Damen-designed tugboats promise faster tow speeds and reduced maintenance and downtime, Young Brothers said in a release. The new vessels will be paired with high-capacity barges built between 2007 and 2010.
“Our investment in these new tugs will directly support and further our commitment to frequent, reliable, affordable and universal service for decades into the future,” Young Brothers President Glenn Hong said in a statement.
The 123-by-36.5-foot tugs will be powered by twin GE 8L250MDC Tier 4 engines that use exhaust gas recirculation equipment to meet stricter emissions rules.
“The new contract is a tribute to the extraordinary skills and coordination of the parties as well as our joint commitment to quality, craftsmanship and developing a vessel suited to the needs and demands of the Hawaii service,” Conrad Shipyard President and CEO Johnny Conrad said in a prepared statement.
Halimar delivers 205-foot crew boat
Halimar Shipyard in Morgan City, La., has completed work on a 205-foot aluminum monohull crew boat and delivered it to Barry Graham Oil Service of Bayou La Batre, Ala. Incat Crowther designed the vessel set for work in the Gulf of Mexico.
M/V Glenn Autry has seating for 72 people on the main deck and two bunkrooms that can accommodate 12 people below. The vessel also has a 3,640-square-foot aft cargo deck to fit loads up to 450 long tons, according to a news release.
Four Cummins QSK50 EPA Tier 3 diesel engines power the vessel through Twin Disc MGX 6848 gearboxes linked to four Hamilton HM811 waterjets. Three Cummins QSB7-DM gensets rated at 185 kW provide electrical power.
Glenn Autry, which is ABS-classed for DP-2 service, has three Thrustmaster 150-hp tunnel bow thrusters that combine with the four jets and a Beier Radio DP-2 control system.
The new vessel is the sister to John Jacob, which Halimar delivered to Barry Graham Oil Service in 2014.
UNH takes delivery of new research vessel
The University of New Hampshire has taken delivery of a new research boat designed for ocean surveying and other educational missions. Teknicraft of New Zealand designed the 48-by-17-foot Gulf Surveyor and All American Marine of Bellingham, Wash., built the vessel.
The $2.4 million aluminum craft features a catamaran hull with a moon pool amidships where a sonar strut can be deployed. Other deck gear includes a hydraulic A-frame, davit, scientific winch and side-mount sonar strut. The ship is powered by twin Cummins QSB 6.7 Tier 3 engines rated for 250 hp. A Cummins Onan 21.5kW generator supplies auxiliary power.
“We are very excited about this new vessel,” Larry Mayer, director of UNH’s School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, said in a prepared statement. “(It) will allow us to collect state-of-the-art seafloor and water column mapping data as well as the samples and ground-truth data we need to better understand what our remote mapping systems are telling us about the seafloor and ocean environment.”
Gulf Surveyor joins two other vessels in the university’s research fleet based in Rye, N.H.
Vigor builds ATB tug for Harley Marine
Vigor’s Seattle shipyard has delivered a 3,000-hp ATB tugboat to longtime customer Harley Marine Services of Seattle. The 95-by-38-foot Dale R Lindsey will be paired with the 28,500-barrel oil barge Petro Mariner.
Elliott Bay Design Group of Seattle designed the vessel, which features a raised aluminum pilothouse built by Kvichak.
“We’re excited about the future of our newbuild program and proud to have earned the opportunity to help Harley expand its Alaskan fleet,” Keith Whittemore, Vigor’s executive vice president of business development, said in a prepared statement.
The tug is powered by two Caterpillar 3512 Tier 3 diesel mains producing 1,500 hp each with Reintjes reduction gears. Auxiliary power comes from John Deere 99-kW generators. The tug has an Articouple FRM-43M coupler system to join with Petro Mariner.
The new ATB unit, Vigor’s first for Harley, is slated to work on Alaska’s southeast coast.
Eastern Shipbuilding delivers latest Z-Tech tugboat
Eastern Shipbuilding has delivered the Z-Tech escort tug David B to Bay-Houston Towing, the third of four boats from the Panama City, Fla., yard for the Texas towing firm. Robert Allan Ltd. designed the vessel based on its Z-Tech 2400 class concept.
David B, at 80 feet long and 38 feet wide, is powered by two Caterpillar 3516C Tier 3 diesels producing 5,150 total horsepower with Schottel z-drives. Auxiliary power comes from twin John Deere 4045 Tier 3 generators. Markey Machinery supplied the 50-hp DEPCF-48 electric hawser winch.
G&H Towing, the operating company for Bay-Houston and Suderman & Young Towing, has ordered four Z-Tech vessels for each company. Bay-Houston’s H. Douglas M, delivered in February, was the lead vessel in the class followed by Triton for Suderman and Young.
Ingalls wins contract for next-gen amphibious warship
Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss., has been awarded a U.S. Navy contract to build LHA 8, an America-class large-deck amphibious assault warship.
The initial design, engineering and advanced procurement contract is worth $272 million, although construction and other costs could push the project to $3.1 billion, Ingalls said in a news release. Ingalls is the only shipyard building large-deck amphibious warships for the Navy.
USS America, delivered in 2014, is the first of this new class of ships. Ingalls is building the second, USS Tripoli, scheduled to launch next summer. LHA 8, the third vessel in this new class, will be the first to feature a well deck to support the use of landing craft, the Navy said.
The America class of amphibious assault ships resembles small aircraft carriers with a deck for short takeoffs and landings. These vessels are variants of the LHD amphibious ships “optimized for aviation capacity,” according to the Navy.
“This award adds to the successful amphibious shipbuilding legacy at Ingalls since the 1950s,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said in a prepared statement. “Our shipbuilders have proven this success by delivering 14 vital and capable large-deck warships to our nation’s amphibious fleet.
“This contract shows the Navy’s confidence in our ability to build these ships to the highest quality standards and to do so affordably for the American taxpayers,” he continued. “We look forward to delivering another great ship.”
Ingalls also has won the Navy contract to complete design work on LX(R), a replacement for the Navy’s amphibious warfare ship, the company said.
