Bark River News

Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corp., is one of the most experienced designers of Articulated Tug/Barge (ATB) units in the marine industry, boasting more than 20 years of experience in the design and engineering of ATBs for ocean and coastwise service. As one of the original co-inventors of the INTERCON tug/barge connection system, as well as having engineered the application of other connection systems to many tugs and barges, such as Bludworth, Bark River, and Articouple, the firm has unmatched real-world experience in ATB design. Because ATBs are the firm's focus, it's vast experience in model testing, FEA, transport studies, and contract design enables OT&BE Corp. to apply real-world knowledge gained aboard actual, operating vessels of its' design.

One of the most labor- and fuel-efficient bulk material carriers on the Great Lakes entered service in June 2000. The self-unloading barge Great Lakes Trader is owned by Great Lakes Marine Leasing, Portland, Ore., and operated by VanEnkevort Tug and Barge, Bark River, Mich. The 740 x 78 ft. (226 x 24 m) Trader is the largest vessel capable of fitting through the St. Lawrence Seaway locks. Combined with the 10,200-bhp (7,600 bkW) tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort, the new integrated tug/barge (ITB) unit is the biggest dual-mode ITB on the Great Lakes. The 39,600 long ton (40,234 metric ton) capacity Trader was designed by a team of engineers directed by naval architect Joe Fischer, president of Bay Engineering, Inc., Sturgeon Bay, Wisc.

Every year, MarineNews chooses a handful of vessels delivered in the past 12 months and bestows upon them the distinction of “Great Boats.” The boats are chosen for innovations in design, construction and utilization. Following are the 17 vessels or groups of vessels chosen as the Great Boats of 2000. Crowley Marine Services delivered Alert, Attentive, and Aware, a series of three 140-ft., 10,000-hp Prevention and Response Tugs (PRTs), to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in Valdez, Alaska. Specifically designed and developed for Alyeska, the boats will be used by Crowley in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System trade. Alert was deployed in February; Attentive was delivered in June, and Aware was delivered in July.

The Interlake Steamship Company and Interlake Transportation have received 7,200 hp Z-drive tug Dorothy Ann. Designed by Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering, the 124.5 ft. long Dorothy Ann was constructed in 1998 by Bay Shipbuilding Company. Final outfitting was performed by Bark River Towing, Weld All and Marine Accommodations. Dorothy Ann is the largest Z-drive tug built to date in North America. Twin Ulstein Z-drives enable the vessel to turn on her own axis, stop within her own length and move easily in any direction. Coupled with self-unloading barge Pathfinder, the pair is the most maneuverable unit on the Great Lakes, says the company. Alone, Dorothy Ann can travel at 16 mph; when pushing the loaded barge, open lake speed is 11.5 mph.

Halter Marine Group, Inc., Gulfport, Miss. has signed a contract with Great Lakes Marine Leasing, LLC, to build a 740 ft. self-unloading dry bulk cargo barge for service on the Great Lakes. The barge, which will be named Great Lakes Trader, will be operated by Van Enkevort Tug and Barge out of Escanaba, Mich. The barge will be built and launched in two halves at Halter's Gulf Coast Fabrication, Inc. in Pearlington, Miss. and towed to New Orleans where the two halves will be joined in Halter Gulf Repair's large floating drydock. Final outfitting will be completed at Halter Gulf Repair by the owner. At 740 ft. overall length with a 78 ft. beam and 45 ft. depth, it will be the largest vessel ever constructed by Halter. It will be the maximum size permitted through the St.