Pushboats
Sale of Two Inland River Pushboats
Marcon International Inc. of Coupeville, Wash. announced the sale of two sister inland river pushboats Captain Jimmy and Captain from Hanover Towing Inc. of Wilmington, NC to McBride River Services LLC of Kentucky on private terms. The 900 bhp pushboats were originally built by Jeffboat Inc at Jeffersonville, Ind., in 1965,and were commissioned by Gulf Atlantic Towing Corporation. The pair were sold to Allied Towing in 1972 and Hanover purchased them in 1975. The 58.3 ft. registered length vessels are powered by twin Cummins KT1150M diesels driving two 60 x 50-in. 4-blade stainless steel blades. Immediately after closing the sale, both pushboats were mobilized from North Carolina to the Mid West region to commence a charter. Marcon acted as sole broker in the transaction.
New Business for Marine Inland Fabricators
Marine Inland Fabricators, Panama City, Fla., has a full yard of new business. The company recently built the fourth Clydesdale pushboat for Smith Brothers, Inc., two of which were sold before they were even completed. Additionally, seven sectional barges were shipped to Vallejo, Calif., for set construction of a Batman and Robin water show. Four more sectionals are being built for a 100 x 24 ft. floating dock at the American Yacht Club, in Rye, N.Y.
LaForce to Construct Pushboat
Industry veteran towboater Autry Dufrene of Belle Chasse, La. has contracted the Bayou La Batre, Ala. LaForce Shipyard. Measuring 74 x 28 ft., the 1,600 hp pushboat houses "a semi-camber" design from keel to the chine on the underside of the aft hull. Scheduled for delivery sometime during February, the vessel's power will be provided by a pair of Cummins 12-cylinder KTA38 MO engines developing 800 hp each. The engines will be linked to Twin Disc MG-5301 gears with a 6
TOWBOAT TECH: Tougher, Kinder and more Hospitable
By Larry Pearson The design challenge for towboats in the new Millennium is they are being called upon to do tougher jobs on the water but at the same time have be more environmentally friendly to the water on which they sail. Also, many of today's towboats are light years ahead of their predecessors of just a few years ago in crew amenities and berthing spaces. Government Driven High Tech "Much of the new technology we are seeing on towboats is because of new IMO, EPA
Fitting a pair of Cummins QSK38
The single most expensive component of a new boat is the engines and installation is one of the most crucial days in the build process. It takes several months to build a typical inland river pushboat but lifting the engines into the hull is a short intense job. Joey Portier at Intacoastal Iron Works in Bourg Louisiana has done the job countless times and was very familiar with the dimensions of the Cummins Tier 2 mechanical KTA38 engine
One More in Series for Waxler
Waxler Transportation Co. has taken delivery of the final towboat in a series of five 99 by 35-ft, 3200 hp pushboats. The latest sister, the M/V Helen Merrill, made her maiden voyage for Secors inland transport subsidiary in mid-January 2010. Each of the vessels has a pair of Cummins KTA50 M2 diesels individually rated for 1600 HP linked to Haley HRV Series gears providing main engine power. Electrical requirements are met by a pair of 99 kW Cummins Onan generator sets.
Pushboat for Longtime Louisiana Operator
In business since the 1960s, veteran towboater Autry Dufrene of Belle Chasse, La. is having a new boat built at LaForce Shipyard in Bayou LaBatre, Ala. The 1,600 hp, 74 x 28 ft. pushboat incorporates "a semi-camber" design from the keel to the chine on the underside of the aft hull. "It keeps the plate rounded to give extra strength and stop the vibration," explained Dufrene who operates his fleet under the name American Tugs, Inc.
Hope Services’ 72-ft. Pushboats are a Higman Standard
Hope Services of Dulac, La., have built two more of their popular 72 x 30-ft. pushboats. These two, the eighteenth and nineteenth to the design, are for Higman Towing of Houston, Texas. The first was delivered last May and the second is currently undergoing sea trials for an early August delivery. Each boat is powered by a pair of 12-cylinder Cummins KTA38 M0 engines rated for 850 hp at 1,800 rpm. The engines turn into Twin Disc 540 gears with 6.14:1 reduction. The 73 x 58-in
Moran To Launch Pushboat
Around the end of June Moran Towing Corp. of New Canaan, Connecticut will launch the Lisa Moran, a new triple screw push boat at the C&G Boatworks yard in Mobile Alabama. This will be the third push boat in the extensive and varied Moran fleet. The firm’s two existing pushboats were repowered with Cummins engines earlier this year. Three Cummins KTA38 M0 mains, each one producing 850 hp at 1800 rpm, will power the 77 x 30-ft. Lisa Moran
Pushing on Brazil’s Rio Madeira
Flavio Silveira does design work for the Beconal shipyard where he continues to upgrade the Amason’s basic pushboat design. This September the yard delivered a 1200 hp pushboat to Planalto. As do most Amazon pusboats, the hull of the M/V SCL 22 has a slight dead-rise at the bow with a two deck winches for making up to the tow mounted on the foredeck. Push knees are designed to accommodate barges at various drafts
Ultrapol Appoints New Director at AGM
Utrapol, active in the river, offshore supply & ocean transport business appoint Ojea Quintana to its Board of Directors. Eduardo Ojea Quintana is currently the President of the Board of Directors of Transportadora de Gas del Norte S.A. and a member of the board of
Popular Boat: Popular Engine
On the Mississippi and throughout the U.S. inland waterways, pushboats of about 70 feet and with around 2000 hp are ubiquitous. They can be seen in barge fleeting operations along the riverbanks for pushing one or two 30,000-barrel oil barges
Fourth High-speed Support Vessel for Marineco
The Marineco Thunderbird is U.K.-based Marineco’s fourth FCS 2610 Twin Axe. Siemens will be deploying Thunderbird off the west coast of England, at the same latitude as Barrow, where it will be used to perform installation and maintenance work for Walney Offshore Windfarms
Damen Deliver Twin-Axe OSV to Marineco
The ‘Marineco Thunderbird’ is UK-based Marineco’s fourth FCS 2610 Twin Axe to join its windfarm support fleet of vessels. Marineco was the first customer to buy one of these vessels nearly two and a half years ago, based on a design for an Offshore and Offshore Wind support
Random Roamings within the Moran Fleet
We all appreciated Don Sutherland's celebration of the 150 years of Moran towing (Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, April 2010). It was an exciting collection of vignettes on the life of the company and of its founder, Michael Moran
Bristol Harbor Designs for New York Power Authority
Bristol Harbor Group, Inc., (BHGI), has reached the final design phase for an 80-ft x 34-ft x 5-ft Pedestal Crane Barge design for The New York Power Authority, (NYPA). The Pedestal Crane Barge, also known as a “Floating Crane,” is currently under construction at Great Lakes Shipyard
Jensen Maritime-Designed Pushboat Delivered
The Jensen Maritime-designed river push boat, the M/V Stephenson II, has been delivered to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for use in Gascondale, MO, in the Corps' Kansas City district. Jensen performed the functional design and production lofting of the ABS Classed, 58-ft
Ingram and Crounse: Towing History into the Present
By Raina Clark, from MarineNews July 2010 If towboats and barges hurtled passed the average American on their way to work every morning, the industry would be better known. If commuters had to deal with failed locks the way they have to deal with congested freeways
Iconic Engines: Cummins K38-M
Most Americans will recall an iconic automobile engine from their youth. It might be an early 1950s Ford V-8 flat head or a 1970s Dodge 426 Hemi. Over the decades other engines have been added to the list. In a similar fashion mariners have identified classic marine diesels
Third Mitsubishi Installation Powers LA Carriers
Deep in the Louisiana Cajun Country, LA Carriers was founded in 1986 as a small barge management firm. Now shipping in excess of 275,000 net tons of cargo annually, LA Carriers chooses Laborde Products to supply powerful Mitsubishi engines
LaBorde Repowers Inland Waterway Pushboat
When it was time to repower one of its commercial vessels, Plant Recovery Company (PRC) turned to Laborde Products. PRC's M/V Victoria is a pushboat used for transporting barges through inland waterways. Laborde installed Mitsubishi S12R-Y1MPTA engines, rated 1,180 hp at 1,600 rpm
Higman Marine Grows:
Innovation and New Building are Key Movers for this Gulf Coast Bulk Transportation Provider. Fleet And Staff Have Doubled In Ten Years Gordie Keenan, Higman's vice president of training told MarineNews in January, “We have 54 inland towboats, the majority of which are rated at 2
Ultrapetrol Regains Nasdaq Compliance
Transportation company Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Ltd. regains compliance with the Nasdaq $1.00 per share minimum bid price requirement. Ultrapetrol is an industrial transportation company serving the marine transportation needs of its clients in the markets on which it focuses
South American Operator Re-Powers with Cummins
Navios South American Logistics Inc. is a provider of river transportation on the Inland Water Ways (IWW) of the Paraguay-Paraná Rivers. With a fleet of more than 250 barges and 20 well equipped push-boats on the river, the firm also operates sea-going product tankers
Laborde Increases Sales
Meeting the needs of its customers who demand mechanical engines, Laborde Products continues to gain market share with its Mitsubishi Tier 3 engines. The company has already started taking orders for new construction pushboats to be constructed in late 2012 and 2013