Service On Rivers And Intracoastal Waterways News

Houston's Southwest Shipyard has delivered a 250’ x 54’ x 12’-6”, 23,000 BBL tank barge that will primarily be used to deliver jet fuel to support the U.S. Navy assets.The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) said it was contracted by the builder to develop the barge design.The barge was designed to ABS Rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels for Service on Rivers and Intracoastal Waterways and applicable rules by the U.S. Coast Guard for barges Subchapter D & O products on rivers.

ABS Launches New Guide for Liquefied Gas Tank Barges with Remote Control and Monitoring of Essential Systems; outlines requirements for design and construction of unmanned barges equipped with various degrees of automation. ABS released guidance to assist shipyards and barge operators:  The Guide for Building and Classing Liquefied Gas Tank Barges with Remote Control and Monitoring of Essential Systems.The Guide provides requirements for the design and construction of barges equipped with various degrees of automation…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Marine Design Center (MDC) will soon be releasing a sources sought notice for the construction of the Mat Boat, a 188 x 74 x 10-ftl. deck barge, for the Mat Sinking Unit (MSU) located on the Mississippi River. The barge is to be built to American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Rules for Service on Rivers and Intracoastal Waterways. The sources sought notice is only for the construction of the barge, shown in Figure B, and not for the final product which incorporates a government furnished robotics package shown in Figure A.

Mississippi shipbuilder VT Halter Marine, Inc. has launched a new ferry, Powhatam, for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).In November 2016, VT Halter Marine was awarded the contract for the design, construction and delivery of the new 499-passenger/70-vehicle ferry that will replace the current vessel, the Virginia, which was built in 1936. The new ferry Powhatam, measuring 270ft x 65ft x 15ft, is capable of holding up to 70 passenger vehicles, or 14 trucks/buses…

Eastern Shipbuilding’s forward-thinking inland towboat design now features CAT Tier 4 propulsion and aftertreatment. When Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) introduced its cutting edge 4,000 hp Thunderbolt inland towboat designed around twin azimuthing AAA Propulsion electric V-Pod propulsion and diesel-electric technology back in 2015, the approach was collaborative, with input from operators, naval architects (Gilbert Associates, Inc. (GAI)) and propulsion OEM’s. In selecting the podded propulsion system for inclusion on the design, Eastern met with two inland owner/operators that had Z-Drive towboats, and others that didn’t. Starting as far back as 2013, listening to each and noting their concerns, it was decided that the V-Pod was the best solution.

Gateway Dredging has taken delivery of a 55’ 1,200 HP twin screw conventional towboat. The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) provided the design and engineering services to JB Marine Service, Inc. where the towboat was constructed in St. Louis, Mo. The vessel was designed to ABS rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels for Service on Rivers and Intracoastal Waterways. It was designed with TSGI’s best interpretation of the USCG 46 CFR Subchapter M regulations, since it was still pending at the time of design…

[Press Release] ABS announced the publication of the ABS Guide for Building and Classing Subchapter M Towing Vessels. The Guide is designed to aid domestic owners comply with new U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) requirements governing towing vessels that operate in U.S. inland waterways. “As a trusted advisor to industry, ABS stays at the forefront of changing regulatory requirements so we can offer the best guidance to our clients and other industry stakeholders,” says ABS Americas Division President James Watson. The new Guide addresses requirements for lifesaving appliances, fire protection, machinery, piping, electrical, structure and stability/load line.

Conrad Shipyard said it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of a crane barge that will operate on the Olmsted Locks and Dam Project. “Conrad Shipyard has a long history of building vessels for the Army Corps of Engineers,” saidJohnny Conrad, Conrad President and Chief Executive Officer. The crane barge, which will be built at Conrad’s Morgan City shipyard, has a hull length of 110’-6”, beam of 60’ and molded depth of 8’-6”. In addition to barge construction…

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. introduced its new 120-ft., 4,200-hp Inland Towboat design, Thunderbolt, combining twin electric V-Pod propulsion and diesel-electric technology for what the builder calls its “vision of the future for the U.S. Eastern said the idea for the Thunderbolt came from a conversation at a trade show. On the rivers, thruster propulsion systems are starting to get noticed and are outperforming conventional nozzle propeller propulsion systems with main/flanking rudder steering. Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. and Verhaar Omega, B.V.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. introduced its new 120-foot, 4,200-horsepower Inland Towboat design, THUNDERBOLT, combining twin electric V-Pod propulsion and diesel-electric technology for what the builder calls its “vision of the future for the U.S. Eastern said the idea for the THUNDERBOLT came from across the aisle conversations at the 2013 International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans. On the rivers, thruster propulsion systems are starting to get noticed and are outperforming conventional nozzle propeller propulsion systems with main/flanking rudder steering. Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. and Verhaar Omega, B.V. began discussions and realized they were driving towards a more refined towboat thruster propulsion system design.

Alan C. McClure Associates (ACMA), a naval architecture and engineering firm, recently announced that the company has been selected to develop shipyard construction-level detail drawings for the next generation of TxDOT ferries. ACMA will also be responsible for ABS and USCG compliance, as well as weight monitoring for assembly lifts during the construction period. The 160-ft double-ended, geared diesel-powered automobile and passenger ferries will have the ability to carry approximately 28 vehicles and 150 passengers. They will join the fleet operated by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) that offers free ferry service between Port Aransas on Mustang Island, and Harbor Island, a continuation of Texas State Route 361.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Lockport, La., signed a contract to design and build five 297.5 ft., 30,000 barrel (BBL), double hull, hot asphalt tank barges for Horizon Maritime LLC, Houston. They are being built at Bollinger’s Marine Fabricators (BMF), Amelia, La., with deliveries planned for the first and second quarter 2005. Lynn Falgout VP of BMF said, “These new barges will be similar to, but not identical to other hot oil barges we built for another customer. Overall, each of the four raked and one boxed barges will be 297.5 feet long with a 54-foot beam and 13 foot depth at the sides…