OCEAN TUGS

Bay Shipbuilding Picks ATB Design

Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corp.'s new ATLANTIC III ATB ocean tugboat design has been chosen by Bay Shipbuilding Corp., of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., a unit of Manitowoc Corp., for construction as the powered portion of a new AT/B the yard will build for Penn Maritime, of Stamford, CT. The 140,000 bbl capacity heated ocean tank barge, will be handled by the latest tug design from Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corp., a long established firm whose focus is AT/B, or Articulated Tug/Barge design. The new tug, equipped with the INTERCON connection system, measures 123' in length, 38' in beam, powered by twin EMD 12-710G main engines, for a total of 6,000 BHP. The tug will feature a unique hull design that is not only less costly to construct, but will also the new tug to fit the notches of Penn's other INTERCON AT/B barges. Robert P. Hill, the President of Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corp., says that the new ATLANTIC III class design was a direct response to an industry request for a tug design for AT/B service that was adaptable to any connection system, yet was simple to build and outfit. "Our clients were asking us to do a mid-level design, that had all of the best features of our highly successful ATLANTIC II class tug, but a bit smaller, and able to be built in fewer man-hours. They wanted the quality and operational benefits of our boats, without having to accept a stock shipyard design that was largely oriented to yard production

Alabama Shipyard to Build ATB

Alabama Shipyard, Inc., has signed an agreement with Reinauer Transportation Companies to build an articulated tug barge unit (ATB) with an option for up to three additional units. The 460-ft. barge, designed by Alabama Shipyard, is double-hulled in compliance with OPA 90 regulations. Bob Hill of Ocean Tug and Barge Engineering, designed the 7,200 hp, 124-ft. tug. The ATB features the patented Intercon tug/barge coupler system designed and built by Intercontinental Engineering and

New Costwise ATB Design from Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering

Claiming "an advancement in the art of tug and barge design," Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering (OT&B), Milford, Conn., has introduced a new ATB design "based on the firm's long experience and highly successful specialization in this market," said OT&BE President Robert Hill. The company's Costwise AT/B series are targeted to attain higher unit speeds at sea, better maneuverability and improvements in habitability, constructability and ergonomics.

Marcon International Brokers 3,000-hp Tugboat Sale

After 6 months of charter Marigny Tug LLC of St. Augustine, Florida has closed on the purchase of the U.S. flag tugboat “Leslie Foss”. Prior to the sale, the twin-screw, sheer bow, ocean tug “Leslie Foss” (ex-Caribe Pioneer) had been on charter from Foss Maritime of Seattle, Washington. This is the second tug sale that Marcon International, Inc. of Coupeville, Washington has brokered to the Buyer

Laborde Powers Smith Maritime

Smith Maritime was contracted by a Nigerian company to deliver a 200' lift boat for oil field maintenance. Smith Maritime selected the 5,000 hp tug Rhea and 400' barge Atlanta Bridge for the voyage. The barge was equipped with pumps to allow for controlled sinking and recovery in order to float the lift boat on and off.  But they ran into a hitch. Shortly before departing, Smith Maritime discovered the African port was unable to furnish power for the pumps

LCS Program Team Announced

Trumpeting the strength of combining leaders in systems engineering, mid-market shipbuilding and naval architecture, officials from Lockheed Martin, Gibbs & Cox, Bollinger Shipyards and Marinette Marine today announced a teaming effort to capture the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship program. The Navy considers LCS its most transformational effort and number one budget priority. "In the process of creating this team, we carefully considered all of the innovative and unique requirements the

The ATB : A History of the State-of-the-Art

(This is Part II of a two-part series on the Articulated Tug Barge from Robert P. Hill. Part I was published in the September 2 edition of MarineNews.) Why The ATB? The ATB, or "Articulated Tug/Barge" unit is designed to combine the economics of tugboat and barge operation with the speed and weather-reliability of a ship. A hallmark of this concept that makes it different from the ITB or "Integrated Tug/Barge" is the fact that both the tug and the barge are truly independent vessels able

Manitowoc Marine Launches Tug Ocean Reliance

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. announced the successful launch of the 127-ft. tug, Ocean Reliance, the first of two tugs being built at Manitowoc's Marinette Marine subsidiary. When delivered, Ocean Reliance and its sister tug Coastal Reliance will be mated with 155,000-barrel, double-hulled petroleum barges, which are currently being constructed at Manitowoc's Bay Shipbuilding subsidiary. Ocean Reliance is powered by 9

Two More High-Bollard-Pull Ocean Tugs for Crowley

Crowley Maritime Corporation's vessel construction boom is continuing with its recent order of two additional high-bollard-pull Ocean Class tugboats from Bollinger Shipyards. The latest contract brings the number of new 10,880-horsepower tugs being constructed for Crowley to four, and adds to the more than $1b the company is investing in new tugs, high-capacity barges and articulated tug barge tank vessels (ATBs). 

Profile: Marinette Marine Makes Mark with Innovative Tug/Barge Units

With the pending need to replace many single hull tankers in the U.S. in the coming years, The Manitowoc Company, Inc. showed the depth of its capabilities with the delivery of the 127-ft. tug, Ocean Reliance, the first of two tugs built at Manitowoc's Marinette Marine subsidiary. Ocean Reliance and sister tug Coastal Reliance are mated with 155,000-barrel, double-hulled petroleum barges, which were built at Manitowoc's Bay Shipbuilding subsidiary, for VMS, a Crowley Maritime subsidiary