Blount Industries News

The Grande Mariner, a 183-ft., 100-passenger U.S. cruise vessel, is scheduled to make her third visit to the Port of Duluth-Superior on July 22. The vessel is scheduled to arrive at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC) dock at approximately noon on Thursday, where it will be greeted by a welcoming ceremony that will include the Duluth Community Band. The Grande Mariner, which called at Duluth twice last year, is visiting the Port this month as part of a “Lake Superior Grande Tour” offered by American Canadian Caribbean Line (ACCL). The Port of Duluth-Superior will be used as a debarkation/embarkation point for the cruise vessel, which is scheduled to depart at noon on July 25 with new passengers. This tour for the vessel commences in Chicago, Ill., and ends in Warren, R.I.

The 600-passenger dinner cruise vessel; M/V Horizon was delivered to Pegasus Yacht Cruises of New York by Blount Industries on March 5. Measuring 161 ft. (49 m), Horizon boasts a welded steel, single chine hull with three enclosed dining decks, with all superstructure above the second deck is 100 percent aluminum construction. New Jersey-based Robinson Interiors designed Horizon with old world ambience in mind — its dining room features varnished cherry wood paneling and trim. The vessel is powered by two owner-supplied Detroit Diesel 16V-92 engines, soft mounted for silent operation with Lo-Rez vibration mounts and couplings. Electric engine controls by Mathers provide throttle and gear control, while a Murphy alarm panel monitors the propulsion engines.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Lockport, La., has signed a contract to build two, 250-ft., double hull, jumbo coastwise service, single rake hopper barges for Tide Leasing, LLC, Birmingham, Ala. Construction has begun on the first barge and building of the second vessel will begin in August. Both are scheduled for delivery in November 2000. Overall, each barge will be 250 ft. in length, with a 52.5-ft. beam and 14-ft. depth and 11.5 ft. maximum draft. They will be built with .75-in. steel at the hopper bottoms and .625-in. steel at the hopper sides plus .5-in. T-1 liner plates on the bottom and upper sides of the hopper. Each will be able to carry up to 3,000 metric tons of coal and will operate out of Santa Marta, Colombia. Shearer and Associates, Inc., Metairie, La.

Every year, MarineNews chooses a handful of vessels delivered in the past 12 months and bestows upon them the distinction of “Great Boats.” The boats are chosen for innovations in design, construction and utilization. Following are the 17 vessels or groups of vessels chosen as the Great Boats of 2000. Crowley Marine Services delivered Alert, Attentive, and Aware, a series of three 140-ft., 10,000-hp Prevention and Response Tugs (PRTs), to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in Valdez, Alaska. Specifically designed and developed for Alyeska, the boats will be used by Crowley in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System trade. Alert was deployed in February; Attentive was delivered in June, and Aware was delivered in July.

Blount-Barker Shipbuilding Corporation was recently formed and James A. Barker has been named the President and CEO. Blount-Barker, based in Warren, R.I., specializes in the design and shipbuilding of tugboats, cruise ships, high-speed ferries and dinner and passenger vessels. The new company takes over the activities of the Blount Marine and Blount Industries entities, and operates as a separate corporation. As part of the new venture, Mr. Barker assumes management of Blount's shipyard and personnel, with the option to purchase the operations should they be sold in the future. "Jim Barker brings complementary experience that will greatly enhance the capabilities of the new Blount-Barker venture," said Luther H. Blount, founder of Blount Marine and Blount Industries.

Blount-Barker Shipbuilding Corp. was recently formed, and James A. Barker has been named the President and CEO of this new venture. Blount-Barker, based in Warren, R.I., specializes in the design and shipbuilding of tugboats, cruise ships, high speed ferries and dinner and passenger vessels. The new company takes over the activities of the Blount Marine and Blount Industries entities, and operates as a separate corporation. As part of the new venture, Barker assumes management of Blount's shipyard and personnel, with the option to purchase the operations should they be sold in the future. "Jim Barker brings complementary experience that will greatly enhance the capabilities of the new Blount-Barker venture," said Luther H. Blount, founder of Blount Marine and Blount Industries.

The U.S. shipbuilding industry has not been too successful in the cruise market, but one American builder has found a comfortable niche in the trade, not only building ships, but marketing and operating them as well. The "ships" are relatively small but they are well known in the U.S. and Canadian tourism markets and carry a high number of repeat passengers. Captain Luther H. Blount, 82, considered the father of adventure cruising, is also the founder of American Canadian Caribbean Line (ACCL), a cruise line that probably enjoys the highest repeat passenger rate in the entire cruise industry. Blount established Blount Industries shipyard in 1949 after building a small catamaran out of old oil drums for the local oyster trade.

Harold E. Bickings, the 300th vessel built by Blount Industries, was launched earlier this month. The 104 ft. oyster dredge, built for Tallmadge Brothers, is scheduled to operate out of Port Norris, N.J. This is the hailing port and location of the Peterson Packing Co., one of the oldest oyster businesses on Delaware Bay. The vessel will have 1,835 sq. ft. of working deck served by hydraulic conveyors and a bob cat loader on deck with a "garage" for it built into the forepeak. Dimensions are 104.4 x 34 x 8.9 ft. It is propelled by a Caterpillar 3408 DITA diesel engine, developing 515 bhp at 2,100 rpm, which has a hydraulic pump hook-up for power steering. A pair of Cat 3306 engines, both producing 270 bhp at 2,200 rpm, drive the dredge suction pump and deck washdown pump.

Blount Industries newest cruise ship, M/V Grande Mariner, was built for American Canadian Caribbean Line, Inc. It is the second in a new line of Grande Class small cruise ships, built and designed for the American Canadian Caribbean Line, Inc. The 183 ft. ship accommodates 100 passengers, and is designed with several ACCL innovations, includinug patented bow ramp, shallow draft and retractable pilot house. Grande Mariner also features super-quiet engines and generators, ice-strengthening and a specially designed clear air system. The ship's hull is steel constructed with an aluminum superstructure. It is powered by two D2842LE Man diesel engines, producing 1,440 bhp @ 1,800 rpm. The engines turn two five-blade 48 x 39 in.

Horizon Cruises, Inc., of New York Harbor, signed a $4 million contract with Blount Industries, in Warren, R.I., to design and construct a 161 ft. dinner cruise vessel. Completion is scheduled for November 1999. The design, which follows the lines of a large futuristic yacht, will be certified for dinner, with minimum additions to include casino operation. This will be the 24th Blount-built dinner boat, and the sixth dinner vessel to operate in New York Harbor. The 600-passenger vessel will be powered by two 620 hp 16V-92 Detroit Diesel engines and will be equipped with two 200 kW Detroit generators. The vessel will be built with three enclosed decks, providing a yacht-style dining experience.

M/V Horizon, a 600-passenger dinner cruise vessel, was delivered to Pegasus Yacht Cruises of New York by Blount Industries. Measuring 161 ft., Horizon boasts a welded steel, single chine hull with three enclosed dining decks. All superstructure above the second deck is 100 percent aluminum construction. New Jersey-based Robinson Interiors designed Horizon with old world ambience in mind - its dining room features varnished cherry wood paneling and trim. The vessel is powered by two owner-supplied Detroit Diesel 16V-92 engines, soft mounted for silent operation with Lo-Rez vibration mounts and couplings. Electric engine controls by Mathers provide throttle and gear control, while a Murphy alarm panel monitors the propulsion engines.