Barge Inc News

A U.S.-flagged tug and deck barge reportedly struck a pier and grounded while conducting docking maneuvers at the Ensenada Honda auxiliary cargo dock in Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday.The tugboat Don Jaime and barge Marilin H have been refloated, and there are no reports of injuries, oil discharge or sheening in the surrounding waters, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, whose inspectors are on scene to investigate the marine casualty incident.“We are looking to identify…

The global pandemic news has been horrific and certainly an historic moment in domestic and worldwide shipping. For many businesses, the action was simple; hang the “closed” sign, furlough or layoff staff and wait for the approval to re-open. Or not, depending how long the virus will linger and continue to cause hundreds or thousands of deaths and rising numbers of cases. Make no mistake, there will be many businesses associated with our industry that will not return. The damages will be far beyond bars and restaurant businesses.

There’s a barge full of reasons why many operators turn to ATBs.A  mainstay of the U.S. coastwise dirty and refined products trades, articulated tug barges (ATB) have increasingly filled a void left as the fleet of Jones Act tankers (with crew complement requirements exceeding that of tugs) has aged out. With the cargo capacity of the larger ATBs – some with barges exceeding 300,000 barrels capacity – rivalling that of workhorse tankers that had served oil consuming regions, the concept certainly makes sense from a supply and distribution perspective.With 50…

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding has signed an agreement with VanEnkevort Tug & Barge, Inc. to construct a new self-unloading barge for transportation of bulk products throughout the Great Lakes region. Measuring 740 feet in length (78 feet W, 45 feet H, 37,512 DWT), the vessel will be constructed in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. VanEnkevort Tug & Barge, Inc. (VTB) of Escanaba, Michigan is a growing company operating three articulated tug and barges (ATBs) on the Great Lakes. This newest self-unloading barge will be environmentally friendly and delivered with the first Great Lakes ballast water treatment system meeting EPA standards. Scheduled for completion in mid-2020…

Representative employees of marine transportation company of Cook Inlet Tug & Barge Inc. (CITB) on Monday voted to reject a petition that would see a union organize to represent the company’s marine employees, CITB announced today. The employees rejected the petition from the Inland Boatman's Union (IBU) by a vote of 11-4, as tallied by the National Labor Relations Board in Anchorage, Alaska. "Cook Inlet Tug & Barge is gratified by the outcome of the election," said CITB president Scott Merritt,  "It was the right decision by and for the valued men and women at Cook Inlet Tug & Barge.

Vigor Industrial has ballooned from a modest shipyard in Portland, Oregon, to the largest shipbuilder in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Vigor increasingly thinks big and builds big. The company’s new floating dry dock will be the largest in the United States. And Vigor wants to get even bigger. CEO and owner Frank Foti expresses an ambition to grow to twice the current size in the “next few years.” Foti, who is also chairman of the Shipbuilder’s Council of America, says he is, “striving for critical mass.

C & K Marine of Anchorage, Alaska has leased the 75' x 27' x 11' steel, twin screw tug "Aries" from Olympic Tug & Barge, Inc. of Seattle, Wash. The lease was arranged through the auspices of Marcon International, Inc. of Coupeville, Wash. The "Aries" is a conventional Gulf Coast style tug, built in 1980 by LAD Companies in Gibson, Louisiana. The U.S. flag tug is powered by a pair of GM 16V92NA diesels producing a total of 1250 HP @ 1900 RPM, each turning a 60" x 56" 4-blade stainless steel prop through a Twin Disc 527 5.17:1 marine gear.

Marcon International, Inc. of Coupeville, Washington reported the purchase by a private East Coast operator of the U.S. flag utility boat Sarina (ex-Tern) from Olympic Tug and Barge, Inc. of Seattle, Wash. The vessel was originally built as a U.S. Coast Guard WLI class inland buoy tender in 1969 at CG shipyard in Curtis Bay, Baltimore, Md. and rebuilt in 1994 and 1996 to her present configuration. She is currently fitted out as a small general utility and supply vessel and has performed oil spill cleanup duties upon the waters of the lower Columbia River and its tributaries.

The past decade was a tough one for the Canadian shipbuilding market. It was a decade that produced a decline of both employment and decline of newbuilds, many of which were contracted in the late 1980s still awaiting construction. This unfinished business was concentrated mostly on various military projects that had been thought out but were never actually followed through. It is estimated that by the time the 1990's came to a close that Canadian yards had experienced the worst decade since postwar times with total sales declining by about 50 percent since 1991. In addition, total employment in the industry has broken off by about 50 percent from 12,000 workers in 1990 to today's figure of 5,000.

In 2005, Robert Allan Ltd will celebrate its 75th year of continuous business as a firm of Consulting Naval Architects. From its base in Vancouver, the company serves the international marine community with a wide range of specialized workboat designs, as it has done since its inception, through three generations of family ownership. The company has experienced considerable growth in the past decade, and currently has more than 30 vessels to its designs under construction around the world, including a myriad of high-performance tugboats of all types, fireboats, crewboats, patrol craft, ferries, and barges. The following are some highlights of current Robert Allan Ltd. projects that will be delivered in the early months of 2005.

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced $17m in capital grants to support projects in Erie that will bolster the city’s economy and expand the region’s tourism industry. Among the grants include $2.5m to Erie Shipbuilding LLC to help the company expand operations at the former Litton Industries shipyard and dry dock. The company will, primarily, convert existing vessels to tug barges, but will also build new ships for VanEnkevort’s Tug and Barge Inc. The company plans to expand VTB’s fleet by five to six vessels within three years. The state grant will help the company with capital expenditures as it seeks to acquire the necessary equipment to outfit the shipyard property.

Brusco Tug & Barge, Inc. of Longview, Wash. has awarded of the construction contract for a new 78 ft. (23.8 m) Z-drive tug to Diversified Marine, Inc. of Portland, Oregon. This new tug is the seventh in the series of the ASD 23/35 high-performance, low-manning tug design developed by Robert Allan Ltd., and incorporates several new features reflected in the ongoing development of this class of modern high-performance ship assist tug. The most significant change to the design is the increase in power installed in this tug design since its initial development over 20 years ago. The tug has been increased to provide greater stability, and the fendering system has changed significantly to reflect both the higher power, and changes in fender and hawser technologies.

Brusco Tug & Barge, Inc. of Longview, Wash. has announced the award of the construction contract for a new 78 ft. Z-drive tug to Diversified Marine, Inc. of Portland, Ore. This new tug is the seventh in the series of the ASD 23/35 high-performance, low-manning tug design developed by Robert Allan Ltd., and incorporates several new features reflected in the ongoing development of this class of modern high-performance ship assist tug. The most significant change to the design is the increase in power installed in this tug design since its initial development more than 20 years ago. As a consequence of the higher power, the beam of the tug has been increased to provide greater stability and the fendering system has changed significantly to reflect both the higher power…

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) has approved three applications under Section 9 of the Shipping Act, 1916, as amended. 4,295-gross-ton mobile offshore drilling unit SEASCOUT to Thule Drilling ASA, a Norwegian corporation, and transfer said Vessel to Liberia registry and flag. The vessel was built in 1974 in Baltimore, MD. Ø Moby II, Inc., Stuart, FL, has received approval to transfer the 1,314-gross-ton tanker COASTAL 204 to Panamanian registry and flag, without change in the ownership of said Vessel. The vessel was built in 1970 in Decatur, AL. Ø Port Gardner Tug & Barge, Inc., Bellevue, WA, has received approval to sell the 4,643-gross-ton freight barge DAVY CROCKETT to Real West Recycling…