Immediate Service News

Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. announced Friday that one of its barges has ended its shipyard period after completing a major overhaul.The work was performed at Gulf Marine Repair in Tampa, Fl. She left the shipyard earlier this week.Bouchard Barge No. 295 (B. No. 295) left Gulf Marine Repair in Tampa, Fla. earlier this week following an extensive scope of repair and upgrade work, a Bouchard spokesperson told MarineLink.Approximately 90 percent of the the barge’s main deck plate has been replaced…

New global emissions standards reduce emissions by more than 70 percent. Engine technology had to advance to meet the new standard. Many turned to aftertreatment; adding chemicals and operating cost. GE kept it simple and built it right into the engine. GE’s Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system needs no aftertreatment, no messy chemicals, no change to operating processes and no ongoing urea cost. Plus, it’s maintained best-in-class fuel economy and produces approximately up to 15 percent more power while maintaining virtually the same footprint. Another case when less is definitely more.

All four of the super post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes that arrived at the Port of Savannah in June are now fully operational at Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City Terminal. The cranes arrived on a specialized vessel June 5. After the cranes were offloaded, crews began raising the booms, and the electrical and machinery housings roughly 100 feet to their proper position. Additional on-site work included elevator installation and final wiring connections. “Our new cranes, coupled with the pending harbor deepening and superior road and rail connections beyond our gates…

The new sales office is stocked with pipeline remediation products to facilitate quicker service to HydraTech’s oil & gas industry customers in the Gulf region. “Today, our most popular product in the Gulf region is our HydraWrap®,” said Peter Blais, President of HydraTech. “When our Gulf customers need a pipeline repaired, they require immediate service. HydraWrap® is an ultra-strong carbon fiber composite material that resists chemicals and corrosion and is ideal for use on repairing small or large pipeline above or below ground or underwater. The repair system can be installed rapidly so as to minimize downtime. Full physical properties develop within 24 hours. Engineered to ASME Standards, the Hydrawrap® product line is ABS design approved.

General Dynamics NASSCO delivers 'USNS Cesar Chavez' (T-AKE 14) to the U.S. Navy. USNS Cesar Chavez is the fourteenth and final ship of the T-AKE class of dry cargo-ammunition ships built by General Dynamics NASSCO for the U.S. Navy. NASSCO began constructing the 689-foot-long ship in October 2010, incorporating international marine technologies and commercial ship-design features, to minimize operating costs over its projected 40-year service life. With a 79.2-percent ship-over-ship learning curve, the T-AKE Program is among the most efficient shipbuilding programs in the United States.

Western Australian shipbuilder Strategic Marine will expand its presence in the state's North West, establishing a new facility at the SINWA site in Karratha. The operation has been established to meet the demands of Strategic Marine's growing number of clients in the offshore oil and gas sector for fast and reliable marine services. Strategic Marine Chief Operating Officer Scott Nicholls said the company had built and delivered a number of vessels now operating in the North West, so the timing was right to establish a permanent base in the region. "This new facility will provide rapid response marine services for the oil and gas sector, fabrication facilities and through life support for all vessels operating in the region," Mr Nicholls said.

Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine Inc. has teamed up with Great Lakes Shipyard, a division of The Great Lakes Towing Company, Cleveland, OH to create a state-of-the-art marine service center to improve and grow their respective vessel repair and overhaul businesses in the Great Lakes Region. The long-term agreement, effective June 1, 2011 is the latest stage in the development of a global Marine Service Center network, which brings the expertise of Rolls-Royce engineers to customers around the world. Rolls-Royce has opened seven Marine Service Center in the last two years and the global network now includes facilities in 34 countries. Rolls-Royce is in the business of manufacturing and selling propulsion systems and machinery…

ABS has further strengthened its commanding presence in Greece with the announcement of two senior managerial appointments. Dimitri Kostaras has been named to the newly created position of Director of Technology & Business Development for Eastern Europe. He will be located in the ABS office in Piraeus and report to ABS Europe Regional Vice President Dimitri Houliarakis. The 10 year ABS staff member is well known to the Greek and international shipping community from his previous activities as Manager Engineering for the ABS Europe Eastern Region and from previous appointments in Busan, Korea, working on newbuilding contracts. “ABS has maintained a very close relationship with the expanding Greek shipowning community for more than 50 years,” says Houliarakis.