Crowley adds versatile ATB for Alaska service
For the second year in a row, Crowley has added a new articulated tug-barge to work in the Alaska market.
The 410-foot ATB includes the tugboat Aurora and 55,000-bbl barge Qamun. Master Boat Builders of Alabama delivered the tug, while Gunderson Marine of Portland built the barge.
The two vessels entered service in summer 2021 for Crowley Fuels, which transports and delivers petroleum products to customers across Alaska.
“This purpose-built vessel was specifically designed by our in-house naval architects to safely and effectively operate in the Last Frontier, and especially in the remote regions of western Alaska year-round,” Ray Martus, vice president, Crowley Engineering Services, which oversaw design and construction, said in a statement.
The ATB is powered by twin Tier 4 GE engines and Schottel z-drives, while the barge has an omnidirectional Schottel thruster. The ATB has a range of 4,300 miles, allowing Crowley to service remote regions and isolated communities. Its shallow draft lets the ATB travel well up the Kuskokwim River in Western Alaska. It also meets Ice class and Polar Code requirements.
Crowley Fuels welcomed the ATB tug Aveogan and 100,000-bbl barge Oliver Leavitt last summer. The two vessels work under contract with the Alaska refinery Petro Star.
Galveston-Texas City Pilots order new launch
Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding announced a new contract with the Galveston Texas-City Pilots on a new launch scheduled for delivery in late 2022.
The 73-by-22-foot aluminum vessel will draft just under 6 feet and feature the Ray Hunt Design deep-V hull form. Propulsion will come from three 800-hp Volvo Penta D13 diesels paired with Volvo Penta’s IPS propulsion system. Its top speed will exceed 30 knots.
The wheelhouse will be equipped with six seats, a settee and table, while the forecastle will have two berths and a head. Six air conditioning units will keep the vessel cool during blazing hot Texas summers. Electrical power will come courtesy of two Phasor gensets.
The vessel will have port and starboard loading platforms, and a Harken safety rail system on the wheelhouse handrails for fall protection during the ship boarding and disembarking process.
C&C Marine and Repair delivers 6,600-hp towboat
Kirby Inland Marine has taken delivery of a 6,600-hp towboat built in Belle Chasse, La., by C&C Marine and Repair.
CT Marine of Portland, Maine, designed the 170-by-39-foot triple-screw vessel, which is a near sister to lead tug Scarlett Rose Furlong operated by Hines Furlong Line of Nashville.
Propulsion comes from three Cummins QSK60-M main engines turning 100-inch fixed-pitch props through Reintjes WAF 1173 reduction gears. Three Cummins gensets provide electrical power.
The forward superstructure sits atop a bed of springs to reduce vibration and engine noise. The vessel has accommodations for 11 crew and one guest. A third vessel in the series is expected for delivery later this year.
National Park Service adds utility boat to New York fleet
Aluma Marine of Harvey, La., delivered the 74-foot Annie Moore to the National Park Service for use in Greater New York City.
The vessel, designed by TAI Engineers of New Orleans under a design-build contract, is named for the first person to sign the immigrant register at Ellis Island. Moore was a 15-year-old from Ireland when she arrived in the United States.
The steel vessel is designed to carry official passengers, cargo and supplies to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park in Manhattan. It has seating for 40, with a galley on the main deck and a knuckle boom crane for lifting heavy cargo.
Propulsion comes from twin Caterpillar C18 engines. The steel hull is reinforced with an ice belt, and the reduction gears, propellers and rudders are strengthened to operate in icy conditions.
Bollinger delivers fast response cutter to U.S. Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard has welcomed the USCGC Emlen Tunnell to its fleet of fast response cutters (FRC). The new ship is the 45th such vessel Bollinger has delivered to the Coast Guard under its current build program.
Emlen Tunnell, named for a Coast Guard hero and Hall of Fame NFL football player, will be based in Manama, Bahrain, supporting Patrol Forces Southwest Asia. The new ship is the fourth of six new FRCs that will be based in the region, where they support maritime security efforts.
Bollinger built the 110-foot Island class cutters currently stationed in Bahrain 30 years ago, the company said in a news release.
The Coast Guard is building up to 64 of the 154-foot fast response cutters to replace the smaller Island class vessels. The new ships are capable of more than 28 knots, operate with 24 crew and have a 2,500-nautical mile range. Their endurance at sea is five days.
Tunnell, who was born and raised near Philadelphia, saved two shipmates during separate actions, one in 1944 in World War II in the South Pacific, and one in Canada in 1946. In 1948, he became the first Black player signed by the New York Giants football team. He was enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame in 1967.