Elliott Bay Design Group LLC (EBDG) recently announced that it has been awarded multiple contracts to design oil barges ranging in size from 31,500 to 83,000-barrel capacity for Harley Marine Services (HMS) of Seattle, WA.
The series of projects began in January 2007 with the contract to design a 38,500-barrel oil tank barge. EBDG completed the design and it was released for bid in May. In June, HMS signed a long-term operating contract with its customer for four 31,500-barrel barges, and subsequently awarded a second contract to EBDG to modify its 38,500-barrel design to the shorter length, which was released for bid in July. Four vessels are to be built to this design.
In July 2007, HMS awarded the contract to EBDG for the design of a 66,000-barrel oil tank barge. In early 2008 HMS asked EBDG to modify this design, increasing the capacity to 83,000 barrels.
The first of the designs built is the 279-foot, 38,500-barrel tank barge, Dugan Pearsall, which was launched on August 9th at Gunderson Marine's deep-water facility in Portland, OR. It has been towed to Seattle where it is being outfitted at Harley Marine's facility on Harbor Island.
The first of the 31,500-barrel vessels, the David Fanning, is currently under construction at US Barge in Portland, OR and is scheduled to be delivered in December of this year.
The 68,000 and 83,000-barrel designs are currently out to bid with an anticipated delivery in 2010.
(www.ebdg.com)