Vicki M Mcallister News

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc., has delivered the Vicki M. McAllister, the second of two 96 ft. reverse tractor tugs, which they have recently constructed for McAllister Towing and Transportation Company, Inc. The Vicki M. McAllister, slated for operations in the Philadelphia area, is a 5000 HP vessel measuring 96 ft. by 34 ft. by 14 ft. 9 in. tug. Jensen Maritime Consultants of Seattle, Wash., designed it, and built and classed by ABS A1 Towing-AMS. It is powered by two EMD 12-645-E7B engines and two Schottel Model SRP-1212FP Z drives producing up to 60 tons of bollard pull. NETEC hawser winches Model X2671 are mounted fore and aft holding 475 ft. of 10 in circumference line. Firefighting equipment consists of Detroit Diesel 8V-71TI diesel engine driving a Goulds 3410-8 in. by 10 in.

We rolled into town on the last train north, arriving Portland, Maine at 2:00 a.m. Half an hour later we were at the dock, hauling our kit - and when Marine News travels light, we're like Hannibal crossing the Alps - over silent tugs resting abreast: Captain Bill, Justine McAllister, Stamford. On the phone a few days before, Capt. Brian Fournier had said something about leaving a light in Stamford's forward port cabin, and there, finally, it shone. But something brighter had caught our eye, and could we believe it? Last time we saw something like it, it was in Aberdeen, Scotland. Now, from Stamford's starboard rail, it loomed and glistened four hundred feet away - rising nearly as high - a pair of deep-sea drilling platforms, afloat waters barely up to their ankles.

It was the late 1970s and El Paso Energy ran a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal known as Cove Point in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay — midway between the East Coast ports of Baltimore, Md. and Hampton Roads, Va. As the demand for gas waned, the terminal ceased operations after only two years, and it sat dormant for nearly two decades. Today the market for LNG is rising fast, with positive ripple effects being felt across the maritime niche. Two tug companies — McAllister Towing and Moran Towing, were tapped to help bring the terminal back to life, winning the contract to dock some of the world's most expensive ships. Ensuring that the job is done correctly has required a significant investment in boats and training. — By Regina P.

McAllister Towing and Transportation Co. has ordered two new 5,000 hp tugs scheduled for delivery this year. The first vessel, which will be named Janet M. McAllister, is scheduled for a spring delivery; the second vessel, Vicki M. McAllister will hit the water this summer. Designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants of Seattle, Wash., the tugs are being built to ABS classification standards by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Fla. Measuring 98 ft. (29.8 m), each will boast the newest technology available and will be equipped with two EMD engines and two Schottel drives - designed to produce a bollard pull up to 60 tons. Fire pump equipment will be supplied by Detroit Diesel at 1,800 rpm to Goulds eight by 10 in.

McAllister Towing and Transportation Co. has ordered two new 5,000 hp tugs scheduled for delivery this year. The first vessel, which will be named Janet M. McAllister, is scheduled for a spring delivery; the second vessel, Vicki M. McAllister, will hit the water this summer. Designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants of Seattle, Wash., the tugs are being built to ABS classification standards by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Fla. Measuring 98 ft. (29.8 m), each will be equipped with two EMD engines and two Schottel drives - designed to produce a bollard pull up to 60 tons. Fire pump equipment will be Detroit Diesel PTO at 1,800 rpm to Goulds 3410 eight by 10 in. pump, producing 3,000 gpm delivered to two fire monitors, each with 1,500 gallons AAAF Foam Capacity.

It's been a rough year for tugmeets. Charleston, Boston, and Portland, whose Musters we've covered in the past, were respectively, skipped, canceled, and postponed. The World Ship Society tells us they'll be back next year with the Boston event, and the Portland muster, pre-empted by Hurricane Charlie, is taking place as this is written. We wish we could have gone north. While there are all sorts of good reasons to attend a tugmatch, we, being media people, think mostly about the good press they bring the business. The way things are shaping-up in such realms as national security, the price of fuel, environmental cleanliness and such, waterborne transport displays more and more advantage for the good of all.