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Laforce News

26 May 2014

Blessey Marine Growth Continues With Cummins-powered Pushboats

Over the past decade Blessey Marine has coasted on a growth curve taking delivery of a large number of Cummins-powered pushboats for their inland fleet. The vessels are sized to share a common versatility with the draft and horsepower to work both the shallower waters of the Intracoastal Waterway and power for the big flows of the Mississippi River. A look at the company equipment list (http://www.blessey.com/Equipment/Vessels/EquipmentList.pdf ) shows a number of vessels with either 1700 or 2000 horsepower. The lower HP boats are 76 feet long while the higher HP boats are 80 to 88 feet long. Both sets of vessels are fitted with a pair of the popular K38M main engines. The 76-footers each have the engines with an 850-HP rating while the larger hulls have the 1000-HP rating.

04 Jun 2004

Guascor Aims for Larger Market Share

Over the past three years the Spanish engine manufacturer Guascor has been making inroads into the U.S. workboat engine market. They not only have a good product, but also were fortunate enough to sign an agreement with the Marine Division of Reagan Equipment Company, Plaquemine, La. Reagan also distributes engines for John Deere and Waukesha, so the addition of Guascor fits well into their overall engine lineup. Over the past couple of years Reagan has sold dozens of Guascor engines to repower push boats. "Our Guascor engine line which includes 575 hp, 750 HP and 1150 HP at 1800 RPM have been good engines for this application," said Warren Berthelot, general manager of Reagan Marine.

01 Aug 2002

TOWBOAT TECH: Tougher, Kinder and more Hospitable

The design challenge for towboats in the new Millennium is they are being called upon to do tougher jobs on the water but at the same time have be more environmentally friendly to the water on which they sail. Also, many of today's towboats are light years ahead of their predecessors of just a few years ago in crew amenities and berthing spaces. "Much of the new technology we are seeing on towboats is because of new IMO, EPA, OSHA and ABS regulations," said Terry Boffone, president of Progressive Barge Line, Westwego, La. Progressive's business is mid-streaming fueling, so careful delivery of the products they carry such as diesel fuel and gasoline from the tank barge to the ship is critical.

19 Oct 2007

Kirby Launches First In New Series

Following on the success of its 90 x 35-ft. series of towboats, Kirby Marine has taken delivery of the first in a new series of 76 x 35-ft. boats. Building at the Raymond and Associates LLC shipyard in Bayou LaBatr, Ala., the Capt. Bill English, is the first of four currently under construction with the possibility of eight more to follow. Although shorter than the earlier series, these boats retain the robust beam of their cousins. Mark Davis, Kirby’s representative at the shipyard explained that it is important to the firm to retain crews. “The extra beam lets us make the boats a little nicer and then we add internet access and flat screen TV with surround sound for the crew,” he said. In the engine room the new towboats continue the use of Cummins engines.

14 Sep 2007

LaForce At Full Force

The M/V Michele Gronsoulin alongside at the LaForce Shipyard in Bayou LaBatre. There isn’t much space to spare in Bayou LaBatre?s LaForce Shipyard these days. Back-to-back orders are processed on a near assembly line schedule. A half dozen or more push boats in various stages of completion surround a single OSV. In early September a towboat was alongside the fitting out dock waiting paint and finishing details. At the end of the same pier a spanking new 74 x 28-ft. boat with black hull, red house and green trim awaited her crew. On board, LaForce workers scrambled with the final touches while the owner’s representative, Mark Bourgeois, was busy checking the details in advance of leaving the yard. The boat’s crew would arrive from the LeBeouf Bros.

06 Jul 2006

Pushing It: LeBeouf Bros. Towing

Jon Gonsoulin is not one to rest on his legacy. Jon’s grandfather, Earl, began working with the LeBeouf brothers back in 1946 and soon bought into the company. In time, Earl and his two sons, Richard and Jerry, were able to buy the LeBeouf brothers' shares. Earl turned over the helms to his sons in the 1970's. From that time forward, the two brothers continued to strengthen and consolidate the company’s position. In 2005, Richard “Dickie” Gonsoulin purchased his brother's interest in the company. Today the company is solely owned by Dickie with Jon taking an ever more active role in forging the company’s present and future growth. The current fleet is comprised of 22 push boats including the recently delivered M/V Merle Gonsoulin and the M/V Sydney Ann.

02 Jul 2003

Guascor Engines Make Serious Inroads

Guascor Inc, a manufacturer of diesel and gas engines, power systems and marine reduction gears based in Northern Spain and distributed throughout the Southeastern United States by Reagan Equipment Company, Inc. has accumulated a number of interesting references in the past six months, installations that should go a long way in extending the brand to users throughout the country. For the Louisiana Department of Transportation's Ferry Division, Guascor supplied a pair of SF 180 TAs for the repower and repair of the 30-year-old ferryboat, M/V Acadia. M/V Acadia has a busy work life, crossing the Mississippi River at State Route 75 in Plaquemine, LA, every half-hour, 16 hours a day, seven days a week carrying up to 35 cars per trip.

12 Nov 1999

Pushboat for Longtime Louisiana Operator

In business since the 1960s, veteran towboater Autry Dufrene of Belle Chasse, La. is having a new boat built at LaForce Shipyard in Bayou LaBatre, Ala. The 1,600 hp, 74 x 28 ft. pushboat incorporates "a semi-camber" design from the keel to the chine on the underside of the aft hull. "It keeps the plate rounded to give extra strength and stop the vibration," explained Dufrene who operates his fleet under the name American Tugs, Inc. Power for the new boat will be provided by a pair of Cummins 12-cylinder KTA38 MO engines developing 800 hp each. This is Dufrene's second boat with the KTA38. He repowered a boat with a pair of the engines over a year ago and has been happy with their performance.

26 Jan 2000

LaForce to Construct Pushboat

Industry veteran towboater Autry Dufrene of Belle Chasse, La. has contracted the Bayou La Batre, Ala. LaForce Shipyard. Measuring 74 x 28 ft., the 1,600 hp pushboat houses "a semi-camber" design from keel to the chine on the underside of the aft hull. Scheduled for delivery sometime during February, the vessel's power will be provided by a pair of Cummins 12-cylinder KTA38 MO engines developing 800 hp each. The engines will be linked to Twin Disc MG-5301 gears with a 6.39:1 ratio turning 74 x 60 in. propellers.

09 Jun 2003

News: Fast Vessel, Big Payload

About two years ago A. K. Suda, Inc. was approached by LaForce Shipyard of Bayou LaBatre, Ala., to design a crew/supply boat that would be faster, carry more deck load and more passengers and still be economical to build. The result: a 160 x 32-ft. high speed crew/supply boat that was recently delivered by LaForce from its Alabama yard. The 160-ft. vessel, powered by four Caterpillar 3512 DITA engines at 1,575 hp each, reached speeds of 29 knot with light load and 28 knots with 100 Long Tons of liquid cargo in recent sea trials. The cargo deck at 100 x 28-ft. offers 40 percent more deck space than other vessels this size and can carry 290 ST of cargo, about 38 percent more than competing vessels. Cargo weight is 540 lbs./sq. ft.