Kort Nozzle News

Hines Furlong Line currently has a trio of identical 6,000-horsepower towboats on order at C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chasse, La.The timing is right to order the high-power newbuilds, said Kent Furlong, president and founder of Hines Furlong Line (HFL), citing the long-term implications of Subchapter M and the industry’s aging higher horsepower line haul fleet as key drivers behind the decision. “Many of the high-horsepower vessels in the HFL fleet are among the oldest,” he said.

As I was preparing for Thanksgiving dinner I put on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. While Indiana Jones and Doctor Elsa Schneider were being chased by the Brotherhood of the Cruciform sword through Venice and their boat was neatly shredded by the propellers of a larger vessel, it had me thinking of how much propeller technology has changed over the years. And how hopefully Indiana’s boat did not actually damage that vessel’s propeller. Recently an article passed though my news feed about the first 3D printed propeller. This is indicative of the direction the industry is taking.

Thrustmaster has been building brown water propulsion equipment for more than 30 years. Now the company’s American-made Z-Drive thrusters for inland waterway towboats are the first thruster in the industry to include a built-in mechanical fuse or quick release coupling. The incorporation of a quick release coupling at the input shaft of the Z-drive gives operators the added protection from the inevitable debris that can line the riverbed. The quick release coupling acts as a mechanical fuse whenever the drive line is blocked…

Smith Brothers, Inc., Chesapeake Bay-based barge and marine equipment charter company, recently added the tug Capt. Kenneth to its fleet of inland and truckable tugs. With the 99-year-old namesake looking on alongside his son, Jeffrey Smith, company president, Eleanor Smith christened the vessel after her grandfather, Kenneth. "This boat reflects the hard work and commitment of the Smith Brothers team," said Jeffrey Smith. The Capt. Kenneth  is 50' x 19' x 7.5" with an operating draft of 6'. The shallow draft enables the boat to move barges anywhere in the Chesapeake and its tributaries.

MPT’s prop shroud solves WBV and RS Issues and increases performance. The Idea: Terry Smith and William Schultz, an aeronautical engineer with lineage to the original Kort nozzle invention, were both dedicated to offering solutions to known critical vessel issues. Specifically, they pinpointed shock mitigation, reduction of maintenance and replacement costs, prevention of needless tragic injuries and deaths, conservation of fuel for the shipping industry, protection of the environment and its living entities…

David Dalgleish appointed Senior Sales Executive by Kort Propulsion Ltd, a UK company founded by the inventor of the Kort Nozzle. "Kort’s expertise as propeller and Kort nozzle specialists, means the company has an unparalleled reputation in the propulsion field. We offer packages which include detailed calculations necessary to meet specific performance criteria and we are also able to supply the complete power train, which includes prime movers, marine gears,  through to the propellers and, of course, Kort Nozzles. Naval architects and boat builders have been increasingly availing themselves of Kort’s experience especially when achieving the right balance between performance, operating economy and environmental legislation – an area which Kort’s experience allows us to excel in.

Becker Marine Systems has appointed Simplex-Turbulo to represent them in the UK. Becker is well-known and respected not just for the manufacture of high-performance rudders and maneuvering systems, but also for significant recent developments in designs achieving substantial reduction of fuel consumption. Two examples of innovations pioneered by Becker are the TLKSR  twisted full spade rudder and the Becker Mewis Duct. The TLKSR  twisted full spade rudder matches the rudder shape…

Northern Transportation Company Ltd. of Hay River, Canada, recently completed a major refit of one of their quad screw pusher-towing tugs, the Edgar Kotokak. Vancouver's Robert Allan Ltd. provided design and engineering services for the refit which improved the operational efficiency of the tug. The refit included new CAT 3512B engines and replaced the open propellers and rudders with integrated Nautican Nozzles and Triple Rudders. Although total engine power increased from 4,500 to 5,640 hp on the Edgar Kotokak, and obviously bollard pull trials showed improvement, anecdotal evidence from the first month or so of operation seems to indicate that both the nozzles and Triple Rudders together with the new engines have improved the overall fuel efficiency.

Shipyards around the world are facing increasingly stringent environmental rules and regulations, adding additional expense to a business sector with an already reputed thin bottom line. Nonetheless, to stay in business shipyards must continuously enhance their capabilities and compliance, in order to successfully woo and complete lucrative jobs. U.S. shipyards have aggressively been augmenting traditional repair expertise with the tools and systems needed to prosper in 2000 and far beyond. The ensuing editorial updates significant activities and enhancements at U.S. ship repair yards. Detyens Shipyards based in North Charleston, S.C., is continuing its upbeat course of developing trusted relationships with customers along the U.S. East Coast — specifically with Hvide Marine, Inc.

Young Brothers, Ltd.'s tug, the Hoku Ke'a, has returned to service after being fitted with Nautican Research and Development Ltd.'s new Integrated Nozzle and Rudder Units at Foss Shipyards in Seattle. Mark Houghton, Vice-President, Maritime Operations, of Hawaiian Tug & Barge, Young Brothers reports that on the return trip to Hawaii, "the Hoku Ke'a was able to run at reduced r.p.m. and still averaged between 9.5 and 10 knots for the Pacific transit, towing a 340 x 78 ft. barge." This is the first installation of the Nautican Integrated Units on an ocean-going tug. Prior to the conversion, the Hoku Ke'a was fitted with conventional open propellers and rudders. The 108 x 34 ft., 3,900 hp tug's bollard pull went from 88,853 lbs with open propellers to 132,810 lbs with the Nautican Nozzles.

The evolution of a new offshore boat design ideally happens with considerable customer input. But in the case of Bollinger Shipyards' new 220-ft. class supply vessel, a fortunate coincidence happen. The first customer for the new vessel, C&G Boats, Golden Meadow, La., and Bollinger independently evolved a vessel with many of the same design features. "When we decided that we needed a new, more capable supply boat, we rejected many conventional designs because they did not have what our customers told us they wanted," said Joey Arceneaux, president of MNM Boats, the operating division of C&G Boats, Golden Meadow, La. Arceneaux said he…

There are several large offshore service vessels working in the Gulf of Mexico, but none so big and powerful as the Laney Chouest. At 348 ft. long by 72 ft. wide with a 31-ft. deep hull, the Laney Chouest simply dwarfs anything in the Gulf. Built by Edison Chouest Offshore, Galliano, La. at their North American Shipbuilding facility, the vessel is already at work in the Gulf on a charter for Shell Offshore. "This vessel was designed and built for a very specific mission-to preset mooring systems in 10,000 ft. of water safely and efficiently," said Roger White, senior vice president of Edison Chouest Offshore. "The real market for this vessel will be in the 5,000-10,000 ft.

When two-year-old Janet McAllister christened her namesake in New York last month — the 5,000-hp, Eastern Shipbuilding-built Janet M. McAllister — a resurgence of maritime pride was evident at the South Street Seaport that had been missing from New York for years. The symbolism of a new generation from one of America's great maritime families inaugurating the most powerful tugboat in arguably the country’s most historic harbor was not lost. The event drew a healthy crowd of industry personnel, people with a vested interest in the boat or the storied towing company. But just as interesting was the throng of New York natives and tourist fixated on the event, as the vessel was put through her paces.

It’s ironic that New York City’s most powerful tugboat is named after two year old Janet M. McAllister, who, dressed smartly in a sailor suit, christened her namesake in a ritual at New York City’s South Street Seaport in late July. She is the daughter of Buckley McAllister, vice president and general counsel of the family-owned company. The event, to welcome the 96-ft. (29.2 m), 5,000-hp, Eastern Shipbuilding-built tugboat home, drew a crowd of industry and non-industry gawkers as the vessel was put through its paces off of Pier 16. Powered by a pair of EMD 12-645 E7B diesel engines which generate 5,000 hp for the Schottel SRP 1212 Steerable Kort Nozzle Rudder Propellers, the vessel is able to achieve a free running speed of 13.6 knots.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Lockport, La., with the Riverway Co., Eden Prairie, Minn., christened the M/V Bootsie B., a 188-ft. (57.3 m), 8,000 hp towboat. Bootsie B. is the first such vessel for the Riverway Co., in 25 years. It was christened by Ms. Mary Sutton Becker, granddaughter of Mrs. Mary Sutton "Bootsie" Baskerville, whose family established Riverway's predecessor company, the Upper Mississippi Towing Corp. in 1937. "This is our first new construction project for Riverway," said Walter Berry, executive vice president and COO of Bollinger said. Bollinger Northshore Engineering designed the vessel, and Corning Townsend, with C.T. Marine, provided naval architectural services for proper water flow through the kort nozzle and across the rudders.

Central to McAllister Towing and Transportation's future growth prospects is the acquisition of vessels like the new Janet M. McAllister, a highly sophisticated Z-drive tug built by Eastern Shipbuilding which "has all of the bells and whistles," according to Captain Brian McAllister. New York City recently welcomed the new vessel, its most powerful tugboat, was named after two-year-old Janet M. McAllister, daughter of Buckley McAllister, vice president and general counsel of the family-owned company. "My company was started in 1864 by my great grandfather," said President Captain Brian McAllister. The event, to welcome the 96-ft. (29.2 m)…

Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc., Mobile, Ala., has signed a contract for the construction of three 150-ft. anchor handling tugs for Otto Candies, LLC, Des Allemands, La. In addition to the contracted three orders, the contract grants Otto Candies, LLC, an option to purchase five more identical vessels. The first three vessels will be delivered in 2000. The anchor handling tug dimensions are 150 x 50 x 21 ft. and have a 10,000 hp capacity. The vessels will have a triple screw propulsion system from Stewart and Stevenson Services, Inc. with two EMD 16-645-E6 diesel engines driving outboard Aquamaaster Z-drives and one EMD 20-710-G7B diesel engine through a Reintjes 6.19:1 reverse reduction gear driving a fixed pitch centerline propeller inside a kort nozzle.

With a history spanning three generations and more than 80 years, Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Inc. is quite the familiar face in the Gulf Coast marketplace. Tracing origins back to 1919, when Theodore Jackson (T.J.) Bender, armed with knowledge from his apprenticeship at Ollinger Iron Works, formed Bender Welding and Machine Company; Bender Shipbuilding has adjusted and changed to market demand, building an assortment of vessels - ranging from barges and pushboats to towboats and shrimp vessels to OSVs and U.S. Navy Ships, and pretty much everything in between. T.J. Bender didn't survive to see the yard's transformation from machine ship to boatbuilder, as the company founder passed away in 1948.