Crowley Maritime Corporation's technical services group has awarded a construction contract to Gunderson Marine of Portland, Oregon to build two additional Heavy Lift Series 400 x 105-ft. deck barges. Once complete, these barges will handle project work for the offshore energy industry in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere and will expand Crowley's fleet of this type barge to five. Gunderson is the same company that built the first three barges in the series - the Marty J, 455-2 and 455-3 - all of which were delivered last year.
Crowley's new Heavy Lift 455 Series 400-foot by 105-foot-wide barges with 25-foot side shells provide both the capacity and deck strength needed to accommodate the favored larger units for offshore exploration and development. The barges offer increased stability for loads up to 4,200 pounds per square foot in order to carry the larger offshore structures now being planned and engineered for deepwater projects. The barges are also suitable for use in other regions, including Alaska, where Crowley has regularly performed summer sealifts to the North Slope.
Crowley's new barges will be classed by the American Bureau of Shipping and receive certification from the United States Coast Guard.