Sewart Supply News

Campbell Transportation Company has repowered one of its towboats, the M/V Louise S, as part of an ongoing effort to modernize its fleet and enhance operational efficiency.The vessel, a 150-foot-long triple screw towboat built in 1968, was previously powered by three EMD 12-645 propulsion engines. Its new Tier 3 Mitsubishi S16R-Y3 engines, provided by Laborde Products and each outputting 1,675 horsepower, bring the total vessel power to 5,025 horsepower, significantly enhancing the boat's capability and efficiency.

Veth Propulsion’s portfolio of products, including azimuth rudder propellers, thrusters and marine electronics, will now be fully available across North America, parent company Twin Disc announced. The equipment will be offered through Twin Disc’s Authorized Sales and Service Providers.“Increasing the availability of Veth Propulsion’s products in North America strategically expands our market opportunity within the marine industry,” said Tim Batten, vice president, sales, Twin Disc, provider of power transmission technology for marine and land-based applications.

When cargo and crew need to get to an offshore platform fast, Seacor Marine delivers with its new Seacor Panther and Seacor Puma. Part of its CrewZer Class of state-of-the-art transport vessels, the 187' x 41' high-speed aluminum catamarans reach 40 kts—a dramatic speed improvement over traditional FSVs (fast support vessel). This blazing-fast speed is due to an innovative hull design, and high-performance Twin Disc QuickShift marine transmissions coupled with HamiltonJet waterjets.Built by Astilleros Armon shipyards in Burela…

Horizon Shipbuilding, Inc. of Bayou La Batre, Alabama has delivered the M/V A.B. York, a 120’ towboat, to its longtime customer Florida Marine Transporters (FMT).This is the nineteenth vessel delivered to FMT by Horizon and the ninth 120’ towboat. Travis Short, President of Horizon Shipbuilding, stated, “After the delivery of the A.B. York this brings the total horsepower delivered to FMT by Horizon to nearly 100,000 and counting! It is hard to grasp that nearly a decade has passed. Horizon appreciates the privilege to have been given the honor to build incredible boats for a truly incredible company. The M/V A.B. York, designed by John Gilbert…

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.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. announce that Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. of Mandeville, La. exercised another additional 90’x32’x10’ “Canal Class” Inland Towboat to the six-vessel program currently under contract. In September 2014, Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. signed the seventh vessel and this additional towboat brings the total to 62 vessels contracted. Three of the now seven towboats have been delivered to Florida Marine since February 2014. This option vessel will be constructed from a design furnished by Gilbert Associates, Inc. of Boston, Mass.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. is pleased to announce that Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. of Mandeville, LA exercised another additional 90’x32’x10’ “Canal Class” Inland Towboat to the six (6) vessel program currently under contract. In September 2014, Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. signed the 7th vessel and this additional towboat brings the total to sixty-two (62) vessels contracted. Three (3) of the now seven (7) towboats have been delivered to Florida Marine since February 2014. This option vessel will be constructed from a design furnished by Gilbert Associates, Inc. of Boston, MA. This series of towboats originally began with a twenty-five (25) vessel contract with on-time deliveries starting in 2006.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. announced that Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. of Mandeville, La. exercised one additional 90’x32’x10’ Canal Class Inland Towboat to the five vessel program currently under contract. On August 5, 2014, Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. signed the sixth vessel and with this additional towboat brings the total to sixty-one (61) vessels contracted. This option vessel adds one more towboat that will be constructed from the design furnished by Gilbert Associates, Inc. of Boston, Mass.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. is announced that Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. of Mandeville, La. exercised an additional four 90’x32’x10’ Canal Class Inland Towboats. On January 23, 2013, Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. signed the 56th vessel that is currently under construction and with these additional four towboats brings the total to 60 vessels contracted. This ongoing option contract adds four more towboats that will be constructed from a common design furnished by Gilbert Associates, Inc. of Boston, Mass. This series of towboats originally began with a 25 vessel contract with on-time deliveries starting in 2006. It has expanded to become the largest single builder new construction program of the same class towboat design in United States history.

Horizon Shipbuilding, Inc., Bayou La Batre, Ala., has delivered the M/V Capt. Kirby Dupuis to Florida Marine Transporters of Mandeville, La. She joins her sister ship, the M/V Capt. W. D. Nunley in pushing cargoes throughout the inland waterways of the United States. The M/V Capt. Kirby Dupuis, designed by John Gilbert, is a 120 ft long by 35 ft wide, 10 ft draft, towboat vessel that is four-decked and is outfitted for service in areas restricted to overhead clearances and draft limitations.

It's 8:30 a.m. as the Big Cat Express saddles up to the dock at the Port of Morgan City, La. It is Sea Trial day for the big quad engine catamaran ferry. No question she is waterjet powered as the tops of the blue "buckets" of the four Hamilton Jet 651's break the surface of the water at the stern. Just above the buckets are the exhausts, large four stainless steel pipes that curve downward toward the water. About 25 pickup trucks and my Ford Taurus wait the arrival of the 150-ft. by 34-ft. vessel. Painted gleaming white, the three-deck vessel looks like it was built for speed. Today we will find out just how fast it can travel. Emerging from the vehicles were several executives from Gulf Craft, Inc.

The picturesque town of Bayou La Batre, Ala. has long been known for its production of shrimp trawlers. Normally, about 150 of these 90-105 ft. vessels come out of 8-10 yards set up specifically to produce these boats. Increasingly, however, large deepwater offshore service vessels are taking their place along side of the trawlers as the Bayou La Batre boat builders join with their Louisiana cousins in producing vessels for the oil patch. Interestingly, it is many of the same builders who construct dozens of trawlers a year that are in the forefront of OSV production. One of the prime examples is Master Boat Builders, Coden, Ala., about three miles south of Bayou La Batre.