Lela Franco News

Foss Maritime has reached a deal to bareboat charter the tug Earl W Redd from Tug Construction, LLC for use in the U.S. offshore wind industry.The Earl W Redd will sail from Portland, Ore. to Massachusetts later this month to begin work on Foss 's offshore wind projects, including Vineyard Wind, the first large-scale offshore wind installation in the U.S. "The Earl W Redd is a great addition to the Foss fleet and will allow our skilled mariners to safely accomplish complex projects," said Joel Whitman, President of Business Development Foss Offshore Wind.

Being based just across the open border between Canada and America since 1930, Robert Allan Ltd. has developed a deep understanding of the American market and just how our ship designs can be tailored to suit our neighbors’ requirements. America is unique in many ways. The current designs of American towing vessels are largely the result of domestically focused requirements not encountered elsewhere. As a result, Robert Allan Ltd. has had to learn to treat America as unique and not to assume means and methods used elsewhere will suit the U.S. market. A simple example is the use of the U.S.

Harley Marine Services has welcomed its newest vessel, Dr Hank Kaplan, to its Puget Sound fleet on June 22. The vessel has a length of 80', a beam of 36' and a depth of 13'7" and is equipped with two 3516C marine propulsion engines that deliver a combined 5,350 HP. The vessel also features the brand new Cat MTA 524-T azimuth thrusters, which were specially designed for high performance tractor tugboats. Designed by Robert Allen Limited in Vancouver, the tug was built at Diversified Marine in Portland, Ore. and is a sister class vessel to the recently built Michelle Sloan and Lela Franco.

Harley Marine Services christened its newest tractor tug Earl W Redd, officially welcoming her to the fleet on Friday, February 10. Built at Diversified Marine of Portland, Ore., the Earl W Redd features twin Cat 3516 Tier 4 Final main engines that will each produce 2,675 horsepower at 1,600 rpm. Each of the engines is paired with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) after treatment system that uses a urea-based solution to reduce NOx contained in diesel exhaust down to nitrogen and water vapor.

Harley Marine Services announced the construction of two new ship handling vessels to be built at Diversified Marine in Portland, Ore. The two tugs are sister class vessels to the previously built Michelle Sloan and Lela Franco, and will add to the company's fleet presence on the West Coast. The vessels will each have a length of 80', a beam of 36' and a depth of 16'-8" and are capable of producing 70 short tons of bollard pull. Each vessel is equipped with two CAT 3516, Tier 3 propulsion engines, for a total of approximately 5,200 horsepower, and two Caterpillar C7.1, Tier 3 generators. These engines reduce NOx and particulate matter, from Tier 2 models by 74 percent. The vessels are each equipped with a Markey bow winch, a barge handling stern winch, and Shibata fendering.

Harley Marine Services recently installed an 8 by 6 meter industrial grade LCD screen in the communication center at the new Harley and Lela Franco Maritime Center in Seattle, WA. This state-of-the-art media wall provides a direct portal for Harley Marine’s consolidated dispatch team to access real-time technology systems from both shore and vessel operations. The communication center is specifically designed to keep the dispatch team better informed with unprecedented access to information. Collected data is transformed into straightforward, easy to read visual aids, giving dispatchers and management an overview of the entire operation. Powered by a modern super-computer, the system is capable of displaying up to (16) different video inputs and over 1,000 different screen configurations.

The construction of two new tractor tugs has begun at Diversified Marine in Portland, Oregon. The twin sister tugs, designed by Robert Allan, LTD, are each 80 feet in length, with approximately 5,200 horsepower and a 65 tons bollard pull. They are expected to be completed in March and June of 2015. Harley Marine Services has chosen to name the tugs the Michelle Sloan and the Lela Franco after two remarkable women that are very important to the company. Michelle Sloan is a longtime family friend of Chairman and CEO, Harley Franco and his wife, Lela.