Bay Shipbuilding Co News

Along the way, ATBs gain speed, efficiency, safety – and popularity. Operators of articulated tugs and barges, or ATBs, say they like the maneuverability, weather reliability, stability, speed of these units, and the manner in which the tug pushes the barge. As a marine transportation concept, they can also simply be described as versatile. ATBs move petroleum, chemicals, coal, grain, containerized cargo and rail cars for customers on the U.S. coasts, rivers, the Great Lakes and overseas. As a result, demand for articulated units expanded in the last two decades with new technology.

America's Bay Shipbuilding Co. vice president and general manager, Gene Caldwell, has left the company for personal reasons. Caldwell’s leave was confirmed by Rachel Krummen, human resources manager for Bay Shipbuilding/Fincantieri in Sturgeon Bay. Bay Shipbuilding’s current director of contract services, Todd Thayse, will be acting vice president and general manager, she said. No further information regarding staff changes was immediately available. Bay Shipbuilding employs about 500 people. Fincantieri welcomed Caldwell two years ago on Aug. 2, 2010, as the new general manager after replacing longtime local manager Pat O’Hern.

According to a report from the Door County Advocate, workers without contracts from Bay Shipbuilding Co./Fincantieri in Sturgeon Bay are forming an informational picket line outside the company to draw public attention to the union’s inability to reach agreement with Bay Ship on a contract to replace the one that expired April 30.   Source: Door County Advocate

According to the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, Russia’s decision to suspend grain exports has ships throughout the world steering for the Great Lakes to load wheat and other staples. However, the Great Lakes Navigation System has unused capacity and can meet this unexpected demand. “Grain shipments through the Seaway in September increased 68 percent compared to a year ago,” said James H.I. Weakley, President of Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, the largest labor/management coalition ever to promote waterborne commerce via the Lakes/Seaway system. The surge in grain shipments is forecast to last until the St. Lawrence Seaway closes toward the end of December, and then could well resume in the spring.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration announced $17.1m in grants to 14 small shipyards in 10 states. The grants are part of the Assistance to Small Shipyards program. “Small shipyards are vitally important for the health of the maritime industry, and for the nation’s economy,” said Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. The purpose of the grants is to make capital and infrastructure improvements that facilitate the efficiency, competitive operations, and quality in ship construction and repair. Small shipyards fall into two categories: those with fewer than 600 employees, and those with between 600 and 1200 employees. All but two of the recipients announced have fewer than 600 employees. •    William E. •    Bay Shipbuilding Co.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration today announced $17.1 million in grants to 14 small shipyards in 10 states. The grants are part of the Assistance to Small Shipyards program. “Small shipyards are vitally important for the health of the maritime industry, and for the nation’s economy,” said Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. The purpose of the grants is to make capital and infrastructure improvements that facilitate the efficiency, competitive operations, and quality in ship construction and repair. Small shipyards fall into two categories: those with fewer than 600 employees, and those with between 600 and 1200 employees. All but two of today’s recipients have fewer than 600 employees. -William E. -Bay Shipbuilding Co.

The Manitwoc Company, Inc. and its subsidiary, Bay Shipbuilding Co., part of Manitowoc’s Marine Group, has been granted a contract from Penn Maritime, Inc. to build an ocean-class tug and a 140,000-barrel, double-hull hot oil barge. The contract also permits Penn to purchase a second tug/barge combination within 120 days. With the barge to measure 480 x 78 x 36.5 ft. (146.3 x 23.7 x 11.1 m) and equipped with a system of heating coils to maintain cargo temperatures at or above 135 degrees F, the 6,000-hp tug will boast measurements of 123 x 38 ft. An Intercon coupler will link both vessels into a 564-ft. overall length unit that will be ABS, U.S. Coast Guard and OPA-90 compliant. The unit is scheduled for delivery by December 2004.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. through its subsidiary, Bay Shipbuilding Co., part of Manitowoc's Marine Group, has been awarded a contract from Moran Towing Corporation to build two ocean-class, double-hull, hot oil tank barges. The first barge is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2004, and the second in the second quarter of 2005. Other contract terms were not disclosed. Each of the 110,000-barrel capacity barges will measure 425 feet in length by 78 feet in width and will be configured with 10 cargo compartments serviced by three diesel-driven, deep-well cargo pumps. The barges will also feature a stern notch and an Intercon coupling system, which will link the units to customer-supplied tugs.

Wisconsin’s Governor Jim Doyle announced on March 15 that the Department of Commerce will provide Bay Shipbuilding Company with $2 million in Enterprise Development Zone credits to assist the company as it upgrades the manufacturing facilities at its Sturgeon Bay plant. The Governor made the announcement during a visit to the company. Governor Doyle said. “My Grow Wisconsin initiative calls for investing in manufacturing so we can create good jobs for our citizens. Bay Shipbuilding Co. is modernizing and upgrading its steel-cutting-and-fabricating capability at its Sturgeon Bay facility. Recent increased shipping activity has elevated its commercial shipbuilding, maintenance, and repair business, leading the company to develop a two-phase plan to increase efficiency and expand capacity.

The Manitowoc Company's Marinette Marine subsidiary launched the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Maple on December 16, 2000. Maple is the seventh ship in a series of 16 seagoing buoy tenders being built by Marinette. The launch ceremony, which was attended by a number of dignitaries, included Fran Ulmer, the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, who gave the keynote speech and formally christened Maple, as well as Rear Admiral Thomas J. Barrett, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District. "The launching of a seagoing vessel is a spectacular sight," said Terry D. Growcock, Manitowoc's president and chief executive officer. "The launch of Maple is particularly exciting for us as it represents Marinette's first launch as a part of The Manitowoc Company.

A pair of grants totaling nearly $58,000 will be used to train 245 workers at two shipbuilders in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., the Business Journal of Milwaukee reported. The Workforce Advancement Training Grants from the Wisconsin Technical College System were awarded to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) in Green Bay. The funds will be used for training workers from Bay Shipbuilding Co., a manufacturer of commercial ships, and yacht maker Palmer Johnson Yachts.. A $31,008 grant will enable NWTC to provide welding training, blueprint reading-measurement training, and supervisory training to 187 welders, journey workers and supervisors at Bay Shipbuilding Co., a subsidiary of Manitowoc Co. Inc. that specializes in large ship construction projects.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. announced that Moran Towing Corporation has awarded Manitowoc Marine Group a follow-on contract for construction of two ocean- class, double-hull, hot oil tank barges. The vessels, which will be built by its Bay Shipbuilding Co. (BSC) subsidiary, are identical to a pair of tank barges that BSC constructed and delivered to Moran in 2004 and 2005. Measuring 425 feet in length by 78 feet in width, Moran's newest tank barges will be configured with ten cargo compartments that provide a 100% cubic capacity of 118,836 barrels of petroleum products. The barges will also feature an onboard heating system to maintain consistent cargo temperatures of 135 degrees F. A stern notch and Intercon coupling system will link each barge to a customer-supplied tug.

The 9,280 hp Ocean Relience is the first of two tugs built by Marinette Marine Corp. for Vessel Management Services (VMS), a Crowley Maritime Co. The vessel is intended to operate as a tug/barge unit in conjunction with the 155,000-barrel tank barge 550-3. Construction engineering for the barge was also accomplished by Schuller & Allan LLC. The connection device is an Intercon Coupling system. Earlier this year, Vessel Management Services, Inc. christened the first of four Articulated Tug-Barge (ATB) tank vessels that the company took in 2002, the 9,280 hp-tug Sea Reliance and 155,000-barrel barge 550-1, built by Halter Marine. The barge 550-1 was built at Halter's Port Bienville shipyard in Pearlington, Miss., and the Sea Reliance at its Moss Point Marine shipyard, in Escatawpa, Miss.

The 9,280 horsepower Ocean Reliance is the first of two tugs built by Marinette Marine Corp. for Vessel Management Services, a Crowley Maritime Co. The vessel is intended to operate as a tug/barge unit in conjunction with the 155,000-barrel tank barge 550-3. Construction engineering for the barge was also accomplished by Schuller & Allan LLC. The connection device is an Intercon Coupling system. Earlier this year, Vessel Management Services, Inc. christened the first of four Articulated Tug-Barge (ATB) tank vessels that the company took in 2002, the 9,280-hp tug Sea Reliance and 155,000-barrel barge 550-1, built by Halter Marine. The barge 550-1 was built at Halter's Port Bienville shipyard in Pearlington, Miss., and the Sea Reliance at its Moss Point Marine shipyard, in Escatawpa, Miss.

Vessel Management Services, Inc., a Crowley Maritime Corporation subsidiary and part of its corporate services segment, Friday christened the third of four Articulated Tug-Barge (ATB) tank vessels that the company will take delivery of this year. were built by The Manitowoc Company, Inc. At ceremonies held at the Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, Wis, Molly Crowley, a director on Crowley's board, christened the tug. Afterwards, guests attended a reception and celebratory luncheon at The Stone Harbor Resort. Over 100 people braved the cold, rain and snow to attend the christening ceremony, which has become a tradition in the maritime industry as new vessels enter service.