Barges Unlimited News

Southeastern New England Shipbuilding Corporation (SENESCO) of North Kingstown, R.I., signed a major contract with Barges Unlimited, a subsidiary of Seaboats, Inc., of Fall River, Mass., to build an 80,000-bbl, 320-ft. double hull barge. The contract value is in excess of $6.5 million. With this contract signing, SENESCO will manufacture the largest double-hull barge ever constructed in the northeastern U.S. Work on the project is expected to take up to one year to complete. When finished, the barge will be used by Seaboats for the transportation and delivery of light oil products. SENESCO currently employs 110 people. However, with the addition of this contract and other business, the shipyard expects to add 40 to 50 new skilled workers to the staff.

In the fall of 1990, the Berlin Wall came down, thus unifying Germany into one nation — and marking the end of the Cold War. One year following the fall of the Iron Curtain, U.S. President George Bush and Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev signed the START treaty, which stated that both nations would agree to dismantle all nuclear weapons. How do these events half way around the world effect U.S. builders of boats and barges? Significantly, as it turns out. It appears that the fall in nuclear submarine production has given rise to one of the country’s fast growing barge building companies. The middle to late 1980s was a watershed of sorts for the U.S. shipbuilding industry.

Southeastern New England Shipbuilding Corporation (SENESCO), North Kingstown, R.I., has penned a contract with Barges Unlimited of Fall River, Mass. to construct an 80,000-barrel, 320-ft. (97.5 m) double hull barge valued at more than $6.5 million. Per the agreement, SENESCO will manufacture the largest double hull barge ever constructed in the Northeast. Work is expected to commence immediately and is expected to take up to one year for completion, at which time it will be utilized by Seaboats for transportation and delivery of light oil products.