First of Five ATBs Nearing Completion at Penn Maritime
With delays in getting parts for the assembly there was a hold up in the delivery of the first of Penn Maritime’s new tugs from Thoma-Sea Boatbuilders. Now the first of five, M/V Skipjack, is nearing completion and will deliver in May. In a near assembly-line production process the second vessel, M/V Coho, will launch sometime in May and deliver in August. The other tugs are already taking shape and will follow on a regular schedule. Following its delivery the Skipjack will travel to New Orleans to meet up with a 90,000-barrel barge that will come down from its builders at Corn Island Shipyard on the Ohio River in Indiana. Cummins QSK60 engines turning 104 by 112-inch skewed props in Nautican Nozzles with shutter rudders power the 4000 hp Penn tugs. The coupling system is a JAK-400.
Crewboat/OSV Focus
Thoma-Sea Boatbuilders Inc., Houma, La., launched the first of two new 150-ft. offshore supply vessels (OSVs) it is building for Massie Towing of Houma. The vessels were designed by Frank Basil of Intech & Associates, also of Houma. The first vessel, M1, entered service in mid-June, and the second vessel is scheduled to launch in December 2000. Massie will operate both vessels in the Gulf of Mexico. Propulsion power for the two new OSVs comes from twin Cat 3508EUI marine engines, each rated 905 bhp (675 bkW) at 1,600 rpm. The electronic unit injected 3508s drive Bird Johnson 72 x 59 in. propellers through Twin Disc 5:1 gears, providing a service speed of 14 knots.
Thoma-Sea Tug For Penn ATB
Thoma-Sea Boatbuilders in Lockport La., is building an Entech-designed tug for Penn Maritime’s latest ATB. The 4000-horsepower 116 x 36-ft. tug will be mated to a 14,000-ton 90,000-barrel barge currently building at Corn Island Shipyard in Indiana. The coupling will be a JAK-400 model pin and socket system with eight sockets in each wing of the barge notch to accommodate varying drafts of the barge. The pneumatically operated pins are 16 inches in diameter. Frank Basile explains that the tug design has evolved from earlier designs that he has done of a similar size but this is the first configured as an ATB. The hull, with a molded depth of 17 feet…
News: Thoma-Sea Builds New Z-Drive
Cummins Marine's recently introduced QSK60 engines are finding a ready market in the 2,000 hp plus range in both Europe and North America. This spring the sale of two more QSK60s was announced for a Z-drive tug building at Thoma-Sea Boatbuilders in Houma, La. Designed by well-know Louisiana-based naval architect Frank Basile's Entech and Associates Inc., the 104 by 36-ft. boat will have a 17-ft. molded depth. Tankage provides for over 90,000 gallons of fuel, 10,000 gallons of potable water and 500 gallons of lube oil. The two Cummins QSK60 main engines will each produce 2,200 continuous-duty hp at 1,800 rpm. The engines will drive Rolls-Royce US 205 Z-drives. The drives have 2150 m/m propellers in nozzles. Ship power will be provided by two Cummins 6BT5.9 powered 75 kW generator sets.
