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Deck Barge News

15 Dec 2022

McDonough to Build New 300-foot Deck Barge

(Image: McDonough Marine Service)

McDonough Marine Service announced it has executed a contract to build the Marmac 305, a 300- by 100-foot deck barge for the offshore industry.Expecting to launch in summer 2023, the ABS-classed barge will be built at LAD Services in Amelia, La., Steve Cheredaryk, sales director at McDonough Marine Service, told MarineLink.The barge will feature ballastable internal tanks and have a deck load rating of 4,500 PSF. Its cargo capacity will be over 11,300 ST at load-line, McDonough said.The barge will join what is already one of the United States' largest fleets of 100-foot-wide Jones Act barges.

06 Jun 2022

Towboat Runs Aground in Florida

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A towboat suffered a hull breach after running aground in the  Okeechobee Waterway, near Clewiston, Fla.The captain of the 46-foot towing vessel Catherine notified U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami watchstanders at approximately 8:30 p.m., Friday, stating the vessel and deck barge Mobro 130 ran aground, resulting in a breached hull and ruptured fuel tank. No injuries have been reported. While the towing vessel was initially reported to have approximately 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board…

10 Dec 2021

MARAD Awards $12.6 Million in Grants for US Marine Highways

© Anneke / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded $12.6 million in grants to nine marine highway projects across the Nation under the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP). The funding will help address supply chain disruptions, enhance the movement of goods along our navigable waterways, and expand existing waterborne freight services in Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.“These investments through the America’s Marine Highway Program will help us move more goods…

10 Nov 2021

INSIDE THE DATA BARGE: Silicon Valley Meets Maritime in the Making of NDT's Barge-based Data Center

Photo courtesy Nautilus Data Technologies

Nautilus Data Technologies (NDT) and Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) provide an interesting new twist to the maritime digitalization discussion, with the design, manufacture and delivery of an innovative 7MW data center housed on a refurbished 240-ft. deck barge. Jim Connaughton, CEO, NDT & Michael Complita, PE – VP Strategic Expansion, EBDG, discuss the strategic and environmental advantages as well as the future of housing massive computer banks on barges.When one says “Silicon Valley”, the first image to come to mind likely is not a barge.

10 Aug 2021

Sea Machines Bags $3.1 Million Contract for US Navy Autonomous Supply Stations

Autonomous command and control systems developer Sea Machines Robotics announced it has advanced its multi-year Other Transaction (OT) agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). Phase 2 of the multiphase contract delegates $3.1 million to the deployment of a full-scale oceangoing replenishment platform.In October 2020, Boston-based Sea Machines was enlisted by the DoD to engineer, build and demonstrate ready-to-deploy system kits that transform existing commercial barges to platforms capable of landing and replenishing military aircraft.

13 Jul 2021

VIDEO: Elon Musk Shows Off SpaceX Droneship

Credit: Screenshot from Elon Musk's Tweet

Elon Musk, a billionaire behind the SpaceX company, on Friday tweeted a video of a new Space X vessel named A Shortfall of Gravitas.SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies Corp, was founded by Musk back in 2002 to cut space transportation costs and eventually enable the colonization of Mars. It designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.According to available info, A Shortfall of Gravitas is an autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) made from a converted deck barge, which is designed as a landing pad for SpaceX's rockets.

06 May 2021

Foss to Operate Autonomous Harbor Tug

Foss' Leisa Florence ASD-90 tugboat, sister vessel to Rachael Allen (Photo: Foss Maritime)

Foss Maritime’s newest vessel will be the first U.S.-flag harbor tug to integrate autonomous systems in real-world commercial operations.Launched on April 29 and scheduled for delivery in May 2021, the newly built 90-ton bollard pull Rachael Allen—the fourth in a series of ASD-90 Z-drive tractor tugs being built at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, in Freeland, Wash.—will feature Sea Machines Robotics’ SM300 autonomous-command and -control system. The system's capabilities include transit autonomy…

21 Apr 2021

Tug and Barge Strike Dock in Puerto Rico

The tug boat Don Jaime and the deck barge Marilin H at the Ensenada Honda docking pier in Culebra, Puerto Rico on April 21, 2021. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A U.S.-flagged tug and deck barge reportedly struck a pier and grounded while conducting docking maneuvers at the Ensenada Honda auxiliary cargo dock in Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday.The tugboat Don Jaime and barge Marilin H have been refloated, and there are no reports of injuries, oil discharge or sheening in the surrounding waters, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, whose inspectors are on scene to investigate the marine casualty incident.“We are looking to identify…

24 Mar 2021

Conrad Delivers Deck Barge to Ashton Marine

(Photo: Conrad Shipyard)

Conrad Shipyard said it delivered a new deck barge to Ashton Marine LLC, a marine transportation company based in Muskegon, Mich., earlier this month.Named the AM 3600, the 240- by 60- by 14-foot ABS deck barge will carry 3,600 tons of bulk materials and project cargo throughout the Great Lakes area. The barge is equipped with two 50-inch spud well pockets for an easy conversion into a spud barge.Ashton Marine has one of the newest fleets on the Great Lakes, with two oceangoing tugs, and two ABS hopper barges rated for a combined capacity of 3,800 tons.

12 Nov 2020

Weld Failure Led to Barge Allision -NTSB

The damaged James T. Wilson fishing pier with debris on the deck of the barge is depicted in this photo taken Nov. 17, 2019. (Photo Credit: U.S. Coast Guard)

A failed weld ultimately led to a barge breaking loose from its mooring and heavily damaging a pier, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.Investigators determined a weld on a shackle that connected a construction barge to a mooring chain failed, allowing the deck barge YD71 to break free from its mooring in stormy weather and drift about two miles to the south before it contacted and damaged an entertainment pier and grounded on a beach just north of a fishing pier in Hampton…

05 Oct 2020

DOD Taps Sea Machines for Autonomous Replenishment Vessels

(Image: Sea Machines)

Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and control systems for surface vessels, said it has been awarded a multi-year Other Transaction (OT) agreement by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to initiate a prototype that will enable commercial ocean-service barges as autonomous Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) units for an Amphibious Maritime Projection Platform (AMPP).Under this OT agreement, Sea Machines will engineer…

11 Sep 2020

Tidewater Hires Sperling as COO

Johan Sperling (Photo: Tidewater Transportation and Terminals)

Vancouver, Wash. based Tidewater Transportation and Terminals announced Friday it has hired Johan Sperling as its new Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.Sperling will have direct oversight and responsibility for the maintenance and engineering department, vessel operations, dispatch and terminal operations. Additionally, he will work closely with Tidewater Environmental Services and Tidewater’s Canadian entity, Island Tug and Barge, to support their efforts for safe and reliable operations.

06 Aug 2020

Container Losses in the Rolling Seas

The APL England lost at least 50 containers in heavy seas off the coast of Australia in May 2020. (Photo: Australian Maritime Safety Authority)

Cargoes have come off ships at sea it seems like forever. Some years ago a ship suffered a casualty transiting the English Channel in a storm. Much of its cargo of lumber and other floating items washed ashore on the southwest English coast. Before the authorities could arrive, enterprising local residents gathered it up.Nowadays, the majority of non-bulk cargo is carried in containers. Container ships have gotten larger and are capable of carrying thousands and thousands of containers. The ships have greater length, greater breadth, and greater draft. They also have greater air draft.

23 Jul 2020

Gulf Island Shipyards Delivers Icebreaking Tug to SLSDC

Seaway Guardian (Photo: Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation)

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) announced it has taken delivery of its new 118-foot icebreaking tug, the Seaway Guardian, in Massena, N.Y. Built by Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La., the vessel is the first new tug to join SLSDC since the Seaway opened 61 years ago.The new $24 million tug will primarily be used for buoy maintenance and ice management on the St. Lawrence Seaway, replacing the long-serving 62-year-old Robinson Bay, which the SLSDC will maintain as backup.

11 Jun 2020

COVID-19 Weighs on Great Lakes-Seaway Shipping

File photo: The Federal Schelde dropping off a load of salt at the Port of Johnstown in 2019. (Photo: Port of Johnstown)

While St. Lawrence Seaway cargo volumes decreased during the past two months due to economic shifts related to COVID-19, industry leaders said the binational trade and transportation corridor is ready to play its part in the economic recovery efforts in the coming months. Meanwhile, with an increased focus on commodity diversification through project cargo, international shipments of wind energy components in the Great Lakes region are taking off.Overall St. Lawrence Seaway tonnage from March 15 through May 31 totaled 7.7 million metric tons, down 10% compared to the same time period in 2019.

20 May 2020

C&C Marine and Repair Adds Fabrication Space

(Photo: C&C Marine and Repair)

Belle Chasse, La. shipyard C&C Marine and Repair said it has grown its indoor fabrication space to accommodate an expanding pipeline of newbuild and repair projects.The shipyard announced Wednesday it has acquired from Versabar, Inc. a 35,000-square-foot fabrication building complete with four 40-ton overhead gantry cranes, equipped with 10-ton auxiliary cranes. C&C Marine and Repair took possession of the building from Versabar, following the expiration of a lease back provision in the 2018 Purchase Agreement.

15 Jan 2020

Crowley Realigns Its Marine Services Group

(Photo: Crowley)

US-based Crowley Maritime Corp. announced on Wednesday that it has realigned its marine services organization and introduced new leadership.In a move that aims to provide better support to customers, Crowley Marine Services, part of the company’s shipping arm, will now be comprised of three distinct, yet interrelated business segments: offshore services, ship assist and tanker escort and engineering services – those provided by Crowley and subsidiary Jensen Maritime Consultants.Jeff Andreini…

01 Nov 2019

Interview: Cory Wood, VP, Bristol Harbor Group

“You still have to come up with a concept, and literally it can come to us on the back of a napkin. Wherever the idea starts, it must then be boiled down to the specifics. CAD has obviously helped to speed that process along, but in my mind, the implementation of 2D and 3D CAD hasn’t really shortened the entire design process, but it’s allowed us to get a better product.”
Cory Wood, Vice President, Bristol Harbor Group, Inc.

Born at the University of Michigan in the early 1990s, Bristol Harbor Group (BHG) has grown into a diverse and widely respected naval architecture and marine engineering firm. Cory Wood, Vice President and one of the four co-founders of BHG, discusses the companies past and design drivers to power its future.The University of Michigan runs one of the most prestigious naval architecture and marine engineering programs in the country, but when Cory Wood entered U of M, he did so with the intent of becoming an aerospace engineer.

11 Oct 2019

SHORTSEA SHIPPING: All the Right Moves (Finally)

The Baton Rouge-NOLA container on barge service / (CREDIT: Port of New Orleans)

Marine Highways Gain Traction in the Intermodal Supply Chain.In the United States, landside infrastructure is at a crisis point. Congestion at the big hub ports, exacerbated by imperfect intermodal interfaces with surface transport serving cargo hinterlands is at the heart of the matter. As politicians bicker over a possible infrastructure package, the Highway Trust Fund, funded by taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, has continued its downward journey towards further deficits (now $144 billion). And, where countless U.S.

19 Jul 2019

Coast Guard Responds to Tugboat Casualties

The salvage operation on the Illinois River is now complete. Image: USCG

The Coast Guard has transitioned from pollution response to the investigation phase of a major marine casualty that occurred July 5, 2019, involving three vessels that sank in the Illinois River near Hardin, Illinois.Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River received a report of three tugboats and a deck barge that were tied together and began taking on water at mile marker 20.7 on the Illinois River. Sector UMR responded to the scene to find all three vessels fully submerged.The vessels were identified as Chatty Sue Smith…

08 Jul 2019

USCG Responds to Three Tugboats Sinking

Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Alexandria Preston

The Coast Guard is responding to three vessels that sunk on the Illinois River near Hardin, Illinois, Sunday.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River received a report Friday of three tugboats and a deck barge that were tied together and began taking on water at mile marker 21 on the Illinois River.The sinking tugboats are holding approximately 4,850 gallons of diesel and oil.Sector Upper Mississippi River dispatched personnel to work with the tugboat company…

19 Nov 2018

Mat Boat Sources Sought Notice

Figure A: Mat Boat with Robotics System. (Image: Bristol Harbor Group)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Marine Design Center (MDC) will soon be releasing a sources sought notice for the construction of the Mat Boat, a 188 x 74 x 10-ftl. deck barge, for the Mat Sinking Unit (MSU) located on the Mississippi River. The barge is to be built to American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Rules for Service on Rivers and Intracoastal Waterways. The sources sought notice is only for the construction of the barge, shown in Figure B, and not for the final product which incorporates a government furnished robotics package shown in Figure A.

09 Aug 2018

MarAd Awards $4.8 Mln for Marine Highway Projects

(Photo: Port of Baton Rouge)

Nearly $5 million in grant funding awarded this week will help enhance existing marine highways serving ports in Louisiana, Virginia, New York and Connecticut, and support the development of new container-on-barge services in Kentucky and Rhode Island.On Wednesday, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced $4,872,000 in grants for six projects through the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Marine Highway program, works with public and private stakeholders to support the expanded use of navigable waterways to relieve landside congestion…

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