Marine Link
Friday, March 29, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Martinac News

16 Dec 2022

Great Ships '22: With Ships, Great or Not, Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Former flagship of the Holland-America line HAL Cruise ship SS Rotterdam serving as a hotel in Rotterdam. Rotterdam.Copyright VanderWolf Images/AdobeStock

My father was on the new construction team of the 1958 SS Rotterdam V, a visually iconic passenger liner that is presently a static hotel and event space in Rotterdam Harbor. When she entered service, her looks were much discussed and generally compared to her very graceful older running partner, the 1936 SS Nieuw Amsterdam II.I have pictures of both vessels in my office and I think the older vessel is the prettier vessel. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but, regardless…

02 Nov 2017

Robert Allan Ltd. Designs for the American Market

(Photo: Robert Allan Ltd.)

Being based just across the open border between Canada and America since 1930, Robert Allan Ltd. has developed a deep understanding of the American market and just how our ship designs can be tailored to suit our neighbors’ requirements. America is unique in many ways. The current designs of American towing vessels are largely the result of domestically focused requirements not encountered elsewhere. As a result, Robert Allan Ltd. has had to learn to treat America as unique and not to assume means and methods used elsewhere will suit the U.S. market. A simple example is the use of the U.S.

27 Dec 2012

Jensen Designed Longliner Wins Award

Northern Leader: Image credit Jensen Maritime

Jensen Maritime awarded for vision and innovation in design of the 'Northern Leader'  longline fishing vessel. Jensen Maritime , Crowley Maritime Corp’s Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm, has been honored with the New Wave Award, which recognizes the company’s vision and innovation for the concept and design of the Northern Leader, a 184-foot long, environmentally-friendly longline fishing vessel owned by Alaskan Leader Fisheries LLC. The Northern Leader is currently under construction at J.M.

12 Oct 2012

Technicold Selected for Commercial Fishing Vessel

10 Ton Chiller Rack Stacked

Technicold by Northern Lights, an industry leader in marine HVACR systems, has been selected to supply the cooling and heating system on the environmentally friendly long-liner Northern Leader. Technicold will provide a complete climate control system to the 184 ft.’ commercial fishing vessel. Technicold components include a three- stage 360,000 BTU/hour chilled water system. It incorporates a new two- stage 18kW immersion heating system, uniquely designed for this project. The air handlers will provide both heat and air conditioning to the ship’s galley, pilot house, crew and common areas.

13 Jun 2012

Jensen Design Longliner Reaches Construction Milestone

Jensen-Designed Commercial Longliner Fishing Vessel, Northern Leader.

Jensen-Designed Commercial Longliner Fishing Vessel, Northern Leader, Achieves Construction Milestone; Environmentally Friendly Vessel is Ahead of Schedule Due to Jensen’s Advanced Production Engineering Services. One of the world’s largest commercial longliner fishing vessels, designed by Seattle-based Jensen Maritime Consultants, has reached the important milestone of having the main deck completed ahead of schedule, only 10 weeks into the construction phase. This accomplishment…

18 Apr 2011

MTU 4000 Engines Power New LNG Terminal Tugs

Photo courtesy MTU

Boston Harbor has been an important shipping center for more than 300 years, from its influx of European immigrants to the wide variety of cargo it handles today. Since the early 1970s, the area has become a major center for unloading the liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers that supply natural gas to much of the Northeast. Getting those tankers safely to their terminals is the job of ship-assist tugboats such as those operated by Boston Towing and Transportation (BT&T). When BT&T commissioned two new tugs for assisting LNG tankers belonging to global giant Suez Energy North America…

18 Feb 2011

J.M. Martinac Wins Navy Deal for 2 More Tugs

According to a report on www.thenewstribune.com, J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding signed acontract to build two more tugboats for the U.S. Navy, just as the yard was preparing to deliver the last of two Navy tugs of the same design as the new boats. The two tug contracts are reportedly worth about $10m each. The 90-foot-long boats have 3,600 hp with a propulsion system that allows the boats to move with equal agility and power in any direction. The boats have a wheelhouse with glass on all sides to take advantage of the tug’s ability to perform its duties in any direction. (Source: www.thenewstribune.com)

18 Feb 2010

First Z-Tech 4500 Tug Delivered

Photo courtesy Robert Allan Ltd.

In late December 2009, the YT 802 Valiant, first of the new series of Z-Tech 4500 Class tugs for the United States Navy Pilots operating in Puget Sound in Washington State was handed over to her eager Owners. After a shakedown period and crew training she was placed into active service in early February 2010. This series of new tugs are being built in Tacoma, WA by J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding Ltd., who are a sub-contractor to Pacific Tugboat Services of Long Beach, Calif., the prime contractor for the delivery of the vessels to the Navy. The design was developed by Robert Allan Ltd.

02 Dec 2009

New RAmparts 3000 Tug for Boston Towing

Photo courtesy Robert Allan Ltd.

Boston Towing and Transportation Company has taken delivery of the first of a new pair of tugs designed by Robert Allan Ltd., Naval Architects of Vancouver, B.C., for offshore LNG Terminal support for the Neptune LNG LLC, Deep Water Port, offshore Massachusetts Bay. The M.V. Justice is the smaller of the two tugs. It is a modified RAmparts 3000 Class tug which will primarily be engaged in harbour duties, but will serve as the back-up for the larger tug (the ASD 39/70 Class Independence) during the latter's service periods.

26 Mar 2008

GPA Awarded Design Contract for Washington State Ferries

uido Perla & Associates signed a contract with Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation to provide the design of a new 144-Auto ferry, satisfying the design portion of a design-build contract that Todd Pacific Shipyard, in conjunction with its major subcontractor J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corporation recently signed with Washington State Ferries. has budgeted $342 million for the construction of up to four vessels, which are to be constructed under this design-build contract. Each of the new ferries…

09 Sep 2003

Guido Perla: Colombian Born, American Made

Guido Perla has always had a love of the sea. Perla, who was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, came to the U.S. in 1971 to pursue his dream of using the "tools" he was given to become a naval architect. His story is one that is marked by innovation, relationships and hard work. — By Regina P. Guido Perla’s philosophy on naval architecture and marine engineering — on life — is easily summed up: "I always follow what my father used to say," Perla said. "It is better to be wrong than to be average." Perla is not shy to admit that he's not always perfect, but that does not mean that he will not try and try again until he achieves perfection. "You don't learn anything from sitting around and doing nothing," Perla quips. "You learn from making a move and taking risks.

19 Nov 2007

Signet America Launched

On October 29, 2007, the first of class Signet America, a new AZ-30/80 Class tug, was launched at J. M. Martinac Shipbuilders in Tacoma,Wash. The new tug is scheduled to be delivered to its owners, Signet Maritime Corporation of Houston in 2008. Signet America is the first of this new class of ship-handling/escort tug, and was developed by Robert Allan Ltd., Naval Architects of Vancouver, B.C., to suit the unique operational requirements of this owner and the physical restrictions (primarily a limiting draft of 17 ft.…

14 Jun 2007

Todd Pacific, Martinac and Nicols Brothers to Submit Joint Proposal to WSF

Todd Shipyards Corporation announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation has reached an agreement with J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Inc., to submit a Joint Single Proposal to build ferries for the Washington State Ferry System (WSF). A bill (SHB 2378) approved by the Washington State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Chris Gregoire earlier this year created a 30-day period during which "pre-qualified" and "best-qualified" shipyards -- Todd, Martinac and Nichols -- could seek to come to agreement on a Joint Single Proposal for the construction of four New 144-Auto Ferries for WSF. The discussions, which were moderated by the Governor's Office, concluded with an agreement to submit a proposal.

24 Oct 2006

J.M. Martinac Sues Ferry System

According to reports, a Tacoma shipbuilder sued Washington State Ferries, claiming the state tried to "obstruct, frustrate and otherwise delay" the process of acquiring four new ferries from the shipbuilder. A ferry official generally denied the claim and said the state is pressing ahead to build the boats. The suit, filed in King County Superior Court on behalf of J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp., asks for unspecified damages and is one of an ongoing series of disputes with the state ferry system. A recent statement from the ferry system said Martinac and two other shipbuilders were technically and financially capable of building the boats.

23 Oct 2006

Shipyards Protest Over Washington State Ferries

The AP has reported that two shipyards that want to build four 144-car vessels for Washington State Ferries have filed protests with the state Transportation Department, complaining that state officials are making it difficult for them to bid on the project. Todd Pacific Shipyards and J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding say the state seeks to dictate the new ferries' design — a violation of the statute governing the design-build partnership process — while assigning all risks to the bidder. Both companies have been approved by the state to bid on the four-ferry contract. State Transportation said the shipyards were in on early discussions about the design-build contract provisions, and supported the increased risk assumption. The protest letters were sent Oct.

19 Sep 2005

Ferry Project Open for Bids

Shipyards likely will submit new proposals to build four Washington state ferries after the state dropped its appeal of a court order that invalidated part of its selection process, according to a report in the Seattle Times. Last February, the state decided that Todd Shipyards of Seattle was the only company financially qualified to build the new ferries. Now, J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding of Tacoma will be allowed to submit a technical proposal to build the new ferries, a $284 million project. It would join Todd, and perhaps another, in competing to build the ferries. The original plans called for four 130-car ferries, now planners are considering 144-car ferries to accommodate a growing population. The change would have to be approved by the Legislature.