Bollinger Gretna Facility News

Bollinger Marine Fabricators (BMF), a Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. company, has delivered B. No. 233, the second of two double hull, 35,000 barrel (BBL) oil tank barge units built to meet the requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA’90), to Bouchard Ocean Services, Melville, N.Y. The B. No. 233 is a manned, clean oil, oceans tank barge measuring 300-feet long, with a 64-foot beam and a depth of 21-feet. The barge has ten cargo tanks, with Byron Jackson cargo pumps, driven by John Deere engines.

The Bollinger built 35,000 BBL tank barge B. No 231 sails past the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge entering New York Harbor as the latest addition to the growing OPA’90 compliant fleet of Bouchard TransportationBollinger Marine Fabricators, L.L.C., Amelia, La., a Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. company, has delivered B. No. 231, the first of two double hull, 35,000 barrel (BBL) oil tank barge units built to meet the requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA’90), to Bouchard Ocean Services, Melville, N.Y. The B. No. 231 is a manned, clean oil, oceans tank barge measuring 300-ft. long, with a 64-ft. beam and a depth of 21-feet. The barge has ten cargo tanks, with Byron Jackson cargo pumps, driven by John Deere engines.

Bollinger Gretna L.L.C., Harvey, La., has delivered GCS 238, an Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA ’90) double hull, ocean service, oil tank barge to Gellatly & Criscione Services of Point Pleasant, NJ. Bollinger and Gellatly & Criscione Services signed the contract for the new building program in October 2004 and the vessel was delivered at Bollinger’s Gretna facility in July of 2005. Bollinger Marine Fabricators, Amelia, La., fabricated panels for the new 300-ft. by 64-ft. by 21-ft., 35,000 BBL barge and shipped them to Bollinger Gretna, Harvey, La. for installation of piping and other systems and final assembly. “The GCS 238 is the first OPA ’90 new-build in our planned fleet expansion.” said Alexander “Alex” Gellatly, president of Gellatly & Criscione Services.

All of the growth markets in the commercial marine marketplace have something to do with petroleum. Supply and crew/supply boats directly support drilling activity and Articulated Tug Barges (ATB) distributes crude, refined or an oil byproduct to refiners or distributors. The ATB represents a big advance in transporting these oil products over a pushboat pushing a tow of petroleum barges. Typically an ATB is one large barge with capacity from 80,000 to 160,000 barrels being pushed by a tug that fits into a notch in the barge. An advanced coupling system permits easy coupling and uncoupling of the two units. With typical barge and pushboat units, the coupling system uses winches and wire ropes to lash the barges together and also secure the barge tow to the pushboat.