Senesco builds tractor tug for McAllister
McAllister Towing commissioned its newest tractor tug in late June. The 5,150-hp Buckley McAllister is a Jensen design and is named for company president Buckley McAllister.
The vessel length is 96 feet overall with a beam of 34 feet and is fitted with Tier 3 engines, FiFi-1 firefighting equipment and JonRie winches fore and aft. Buckley McAllister is ABS Escort Service-rated and will be in service on the Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts.
The tug was constructed at Senesco Marine of Rhode Island under the direction of Project Manager Richard Doughtry and Martin Costa, vice president of engineering at McAllister Towing. On the fore deck the JonRie Series 250 winch has a line pull of 90 tons. The winch features an active heave compensation system for controlled payout. The system includes dual tension control systems with tension meters and foot control for hands free operation. Also supplied is a line tension data system for predicting rope life and replacement.
The stern winch is a JonRie Series 512 towing winch with 2,100 feet of 2.25-inch wire boasting a line pull of 67.5 tons. When making up a tow there is never a need to be back on deck as the level wind is independent and can be controlled and un-clutched from the pilothouse.
Ingalls authenticates keel of assault ship LHA 7
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) authenticated the keel for the future multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) in a June 20 ceremony at its Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss.
The keel was officially authenticated by its sponsor, Lynne Mabus, wife of U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, and Steve Senk, an HII employee who was awarded the Silver Star for his actions to save the second USS Tripoli (LPH 10) after the ship struck a mine during Operation Desert Storm.
Secretary Mabus paid tribute to the Ingalls shipbuilders during his remarks. “Today, we have 100 ships forward-deployed around the world,” he said. “They’re out there standing the watch, protecting this country. They’re a long way from home. They're there because of the great work of the shipbuilders here at Huntington Ingalls. They’re there because you are building the most technologically advanced platforms in the world, and you are building them for the defense of this country. We couldn’t put the fleet to sea — we wouldn't have a fleet — without the dedicated men and women who work here.”
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant attended the ceremony and had similar praise for the Ingalls workforce.
The future USS Tripoli and the future USS America (LHA 6) are the first two ships in a new class of amphibious assault ships for the U.S. Navy. The ships will be 844 feet long and 106 feet wide and will displace 44,971 long tons.
The fuel-efficient gas turbine propulsion system will drive the ship in excess of 20 knots. The warship will accommodate a crew of 1,204 (with 102 officers) and 1,871 troops. Tripoli will be capable of carrying a Marine Expeditionary Unit, including Marine helicopters, V-22 Osprey VTOL tilt-rotor aircraft and F35B Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) STOVL aircraft.
At the culmination of the ceremony, Mrs. Mabus signified that the keel of Tripoli had been “truly and fairly laid.” Ingalls welder George Powe then welded her initials, along with Senk’s, onto a ceremonial keel plate that will remain with the ship.
Report: J.M. Martinac faces foreclosure
J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. reportedly faces a foreclosure auction of its Tacoma, Wash., shipyard July 18.
The Tacoma News Tribune newspaper reported that the shipyard needs to find new business “or an angel investor to pay some $415,000 in payments and fees overdue on a $5.4 million loan its owners signed in December 2012.” It owes Pierce County some $13,429 in property taxes for the last three years.
GCSG launches new barge for Florida Marine
The first in a new series of tank barges for Florida Marine Transportation (FMT), of Mandeville, La., was christened in late June in a ceremony at Gulf Coast Shipyard Group Inc.’s Gulfport, Miss., shipyard.
The barge FMT 6000, is the first of FMT's new 6000-series, 30,000-barrel, environmentally friendly tank barges. The new series continues FMT's tradition of having the latest design and most environmentally friendly equipment operating on America’s waterways.
The barge utilizes proprietary engineering developed for FMT by the engineering group of Guarino & Cox, this series of new barges minimizes vapors escaping into the atmosphere while increasing safety factors when the barge is in operation.
To further reduce emissions, all diesel engines mounted on these barges are Tier 3 compliant.
The new design achieves 6.4-pounds-per-square-inch of pressure and 2.0 pounds-per-square-inch of vacuum with minimum loss of cargo capacity, allowing these barges to deliver more product for FMT's customers than other barges with similar pressure ratings.
As with all barges Gulf Coast Shipyard Group has built for FMT prior to this delivery, this barge is ice-strengthened in order to minimize damage in harsh winter conditions.
The coating system for all FMT barges has been selected to reduce the release of harmful VOCs (volatile organic components) and is of a higher standard than generally found in the inland industry. FMT requires painting of voids and other areas that would not normally be painted in order to ensure the quality and longevity of its fleet.
Gulf Coast Shipyard Group began building state-of-the-art 297-foot-by-54-foot 30,000-barrel barges for FMT in 2011 at its Gulfport, Miss., facility. The contract calls for a total of 32 barges. However, with options for 18 additional units, the contract could grow to 50 barges. The shipbuilder is now delivering FMT barges on a 25- to 28-day schedule.
HOS supply vessel launched at Eastern Shipbuilding
Eastern Shipbuilding Group, of Panama City, Fla., in late June launched HOS Black Watch, the fourth of six HOSMAX 310 design platform supply vessels (PSVs) for Hornbeck Offshore Services, of Covington, La.
Launched at Eastern Shipbuilding’s Allanton shipyard, the diesel-electric HOS Black Watch is based on a design from naval architectural and marine engineering firm STX Marine Inc., which has offices in Houston and Vancouver, B.C. The vessel is 302 feet by 64 feet by 26 feet, with a deadweight capacity of 6,144 tons. The PSV is classed by ABS as +A1, Offshore Support Vessel and Ocean Service, Loadline, +AMS, +ACCU, +Circle E, +DPS-2, with additional ABS notations UWILD, ENVIRO, FFV-1 and certified under SOLAS.
HOS Blackwatch has a capacity of 21,509 barrels of liquid mud capacity in 10 tanks, with a clear deck space of 11,137 square feet, methanol capacity of 2,212 cubic feet, potable water capacity of 62,538 gallons, drill water/ballast capacity of 609,227 gallons, fuel oil day tank capacity of 23,752 gallons, and total fuel oil capacity of 285,649 gallons.
Propulsion power is supplied by four Caterpillar 3516C, 16-cylinder Tier 3 compliant diesel generator engines, each rated at 1,825 kW at 1,800 revolutions per minute, that drive Hyundai 2,500-kW 690 VAC electric motors. The motors drive two Schottel SRP 2020 fixed-pitch Z-drives rated at 2,500 kW at 1,025 revolutions per minute each. Two Schottel STT fixed-pitch tunnel thrusters, rated at 1,180 kW at 1,170 revolutions per minute each, are direct coupled to Hyundai 690 VAC electric motors. GE Energy was the propulsion systems integrator, providing the entire diesel-electric propulsion package.
