Working Barge
Barge hits bridge in Port of Tampa
Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., is trying to find the owner of a 60-ft. work barge that struck the northbound lanes of the Howard Frankland Bridge, Interstate 275. The barge has two markings, MB54 and Jacksonville. It is believed that the barge broke free of its moorings due to the high winds and seas of Tropical Storm Alberto. Officials are working to find the owner of the barge and remove the barge from causing further damage to the bridge. Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Florida Highway Patrol and the Tampa Police Department are working together to assess the damage. The bridge is now open to traffic with only the right lane closed for bridge workers. The barge is carrying no cargo and there have been no injuries.
Obituary: Josip Gruzling, Nozzle Expert, 1943-2007
Josip Gruzling, P.Eng., President of NautiCAN R&D Ltd., passed away Monday, September 10. Josip was a pioneer in the use of hydrofoils to increase the efficiency of tugs and barges. He used his inventiveness and determination to develop two types of devices: the High Efficiency Nozzles and Hydralift Skegs for barges, receiving nine patents for his efforts. Over 100 High Efficiency Nozzles have been built and over 40 Hydralift skegs have been installed worldwide.
Grounded Barge Capsized
The barge ITB-260 loaded with 3,324 tons of gravel capsized north of Gig Harbor, Wash., when the tide came in, causing the load of gravel to shift and eventually spill into the water. The tug Island Breeze was towing the barge when it reported to the Coast Guard that the barge was taking on water. Over three hours later the crew of the tug reported they had pushed the barge against the shore to prevent it from sinking.
Jeffboat Wins Barge Contract
Jeffboat has been awarded a contract to build two 52,000 net barrel ocean service tank barges for Vane Line Bunkering of Baltimore, Maryland. These barges are the fifth and sixth built to the same design at Jeffboat since 2001. Work on the new barges is expected to begin in June 2004 and extend through September 2005. The barges are to be built for coastwise manned and ocean unmanned light oil service. The new contract contains options for Vane to purchase up to two additional barges of the
LA Carriers Lady Loren
“This boat was five years in the planning,” said LA Carriers owner, Russel Plaisance, as he looked over a tug that he will place into operation by the end of December. The new vessel, to be named Lady Loren, will be the seventh vessel in the LA Carriers fleet. The boat is building at Dickie Adams Lockport Fabrication Inc. Plaisance first went to work on his dad’s fishing boat at 17 and by 21 he had his masters license
Strategic Marine Wins Offshore Cargo Catamaran Contract
Western Australian (WA) ship builder Strategic Marine has signed a contract with repeat client Offshore Plant Hire for the construction of a 24 meter heavy duty offshore cargo catamaran. The catamaran will be built at Strategic Marine's Singapore facility which is nearing the end of a major expansion program which will see the shipyard more than double its capacity. The vessel will be completed in the first quarter of 2013 and is expected to operate in WA’s North West
Mississippi River Closes After Towboat Accident
The Coast Guard has closed the Upper Mississippi River on Sunday from mile marker 130 to 144, to all vessel traffic due to a towboat accident which resulted in one sunken barge and 6 others damaged. The towboat John Paul Eckstein, lost power and ran its 25 barge tow into a dock near mile marker 144, approximately 20 miles above St. Genevieve, MO. As a result of the accident, the tow broke apart and all 25 barges were set adrift. All of the barges, except one were recovered.
Alabama Shipyard Signs Tug/Barge Contract
Alabama Shipyard has signed a contract to build an articulated tug and barge (ATB) vessel for Allied Transportation Company of Norfolk, Va. "This is our third major contract award during the last four months of 2000," noted Alabama Shipyard president Dick Wells. "We have several pending contracts that will help us create a stable workforce here in Mobile," Wells stated. "In fact, Alabama Shipyard has been working with Mobile's Workforce Development Board to develop a training program
Bollinger, K-Sea Agree On Barge Construction Program
Bollinger Gretna, L.L.C., Harvey, La., a Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. company, and K-Sea Transportation Corp. of New York have signed a contract for the construction of four double hull, ocean service, OPA ‘90 oil barges. The barges will have capacities of 80,000 to 100,000 barrels. Terms were not disclosed. The barges will be built primarily for oil service on the Northeast U. S. coast. They will be coupled with existing K-Sea tugs using a connection system designed and delivered by
Imtech Marine Awarded Second Jack-Up Contract
Imtech Marine (Radio Holland Netherlands) has been awarded an extensive contract from Jack-Up Barge for the communication and IT systems for its newbuild, self-elevating platform JB-118. This follows a similar contract for the JB-117, which Imtech Marine successfully completed earlier this year. Additionally, Jack-Up Barge and Imtech Marine have concluded an Advanced Support Agreement for the vessels, which includes 24/7 remote Monitoring & Maintenance and covers all of the
Great Lakes Shipyard Contracted for USCG Cutter Repairs
Great Lakes Shipyard hauled out the United States Coast Guard Cutter Neah Bay (WTGB-105) using its 770-ton capacity Travelift. The repair contract, awarded to the Shipyard in early March, includes routine drydocking and underwater hull maintenance such as inspection and testing of propulsion
Houston Ship Channel Expansion Planned
Kinder Morgan announces land purchase, plans to construct dock and expand terminal capacity on Houston Ship Channel. Kinder Morgan Energy Partners say they will invest $106 million to purchase approximately 20 acres adjacent to its Pasadena, Texas, terminal
Port of Stockton Selects Tideworks TOS
Tideworks Technology, Inc., a provider of full-service terminal management and planning software solutions, announced that California’s Port of Stockton will deploy Tideworks Technology’s terminal operating system (TOS) to manage its container-on-barge operation and improve overall
Valentine Receives New Lay Barge
Valentine Maritime’s new derrick equipped pipe laying barge has accommodation for 300 people and a 1,600-ton crane mounted on a 120 by 31.7 meter (393.6X104-foot) barge. VM’s DLB1600 was built over a three-year period at the Nanjing Tianshun Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., in China
Improved Safety for U.S. Inland Barges
Honeywell reported that operating companies of all sizes within the United States inland barge market are turning to Honeywell’s Tanksystem portable level gauging and sampling technology to optimize custody transfer measurements and improve safety and environmental protection on both newly
Coast Guard Responds to Mobile, AL Barge Explosion
The Coast Guard is responding to a report of a barge explosion on the ship channel in Mobile Bay Wednesday. Coast Guard Sector Mobile watchstanders received the initial notification at 8:40 p.m. reporting the barge explosion between the George Wallace Tunnel and the Bankhead Tunnel in
Conquest at Work in Flushing
Conquest MB I, a 1,500-ton offshore heavy lift crane barge from Conquest Offshore worked (off)loading at the quay of Heerema, Flushing, the Netherlands. When changing from 400t, 800t to 1,600t hook block there is no need to change wires, blocks or sheaves
Ulstein Delivers PSV Designs to Kuma
Kuma Shipping has ordered two ships of the new P128 design, a design developed to serve the general PSV market related to work-over barges and jack-up rigs. “This is a design that combines low fuel oil consumption with high carrying capacity at an attractive price,” said Ove Dimmen
Nass Delivers Cargo Barge
Nass Marine Services, a marine division of the Nass Group, handed over a competed project that involved the fabrication of a new deck cargo barge to Ocean Diving & Marine Services that is owned and operated by Mr. Samir Engineer in the Kingdom.
Buckley McAllister Elected AWO Chairman
The members of the American Waterways Operators, the national trade association representing the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, elected a new slate of leaders during AWO’s Spring Convention recently held in Washington, D.C. Buckley McAllister, President, McAllister Towing
Crowley Closes $1 Billion Newbuild Program with Liberty Christening
Eleven years after the launch of its first Articulated Tug-Barge (ATB), Crowley Maritime Corporation christened its 17th ATB, the Liberty/750-3, yesterday at the VT Halter Marine Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. The tugboat and 330,000-barrel petroleum tank barge are the final vessels to be built in
COSCO China Shipyards Diminish Group Q1 2013 Profits
The Group achieved $9.7 million net profit on turnover of $733.0 million in Q1 2013, but shipyard & drybulk operations contributions down. In Q1 2013, turnover from shipyard operations decreased by 25.5% to $719.2 million from $965.9 million in Q1 2012
Tank Barge Delivered to Progressive Barge Line
PBL 3421 was delivered by Raymond & Associates, LLC, Bayou La Batre, AL, to Progressive Barge Line, Inc., New Orleans. PBL 3421 is the first of two barges, both 297.5 x 54 x 12 ft. inland service double skin tank barges, each witha cargo capacity of about 4700 short tons at 11.5 ft
China Shipyard Wins Floatover Barge Contract
COSCO (Zhoushan) Shipyard contracted by Malaysian owners to build a floatover launch barge for the offshore construction industry. The contract has a value of over US$ 23-million. The floatover launch barge will measure 10.00 meters high, 46 meters wide
China Supplies Maersk Triple-E Hull Modules
Hull modules for the huge container ships are being built in Shandong and delivered by barge to South Korea' Daewoo Shipbuiding yard. Twenty of the ships, which can each carry 18,270 20-foot containers and at 399.25 metres long, are being built for Maersk Line by South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding