Steiner Shipyard News

Bayou la Batre, Ala. shipbuilder Steiner Shipyard reports it has launched a new ferry it is building for the Maine Department of Transportation.The 104-foot passenger/vehicle ferry, named Charles Norman Shay, is designed by Gilbert Associates and is scheduled to be delivered in the near future.Once completed, the brand-new vessel will service the Maine State Ferry Service’s (MSFS) longest route, between Rockland and Matinicus Island (23 miles). It will provide the necessary upgrade to the ferry service that transports nearly 500…

With travel and tourism nearing pre-2020 levels, and transit systems benefiting from a return to work, passenger vessels have seen renewed activity. In its year-end review, John Groundwater, Executive Director of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA), which advocates for the sector in Washington, D.C. wrote: “As we are nearing the end of the calendar year, we are delighted to report that our industry, and our members, are reporting far and wide that they have experienced very…

Bayou la Batre, Ala. shipbuilder Steiner Shipyard has been selected by the Maine Department of Transportation for the construction of the Matinicus Island Replacement Ferry for the Maine State Ferry Service (MSFS).The 104-foot passenger/vehicle ferry is designed by Gilbert Associates. Once completed, the ferry will provide the Rockland-based ferry service with a brand-new vessel capable of servicing the MSFS’s longest route to Matinicus Island (23 miles). It will provide the necessary upgrade to the ferry service that transports nearly 500…

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.

“In God we trust. All others must have data.”When Ed Grimm took the helm of Southern Towing Company (STC)as President and CEO, he inherited an enviable team of leaders, engineers, mentors, communicators and analysts. Today STC is a clear leader on the inland waterways, pioneering and proving the business and safety value of Z-Drives on the river towboats.How did you come to the top spot at Southern Towing Company?I started in the energy industry at 16 working at an oil storage depot in New York Harbor, working there through high school and putting myself through college.

Tognum America Inc., a Tognum Group subsidiary and manufacturer of marine and off-highway engines, will supply twelve MTU Series 4000 diesel engines to power six push boats operated by Southern Towing Company, an established inland waterways barge operator on the Mississippi River system and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The high-speed diesel marine propulsion engines from MTU will be used to power four new push boats and repower two older vessels in the company’s fleet. According to William Stegbauer…

The final, for now, delivery in a series of four 120 by 34-ft 3200-HP Z-drive towboats was completed at Steiner Shipyard in Alabama. The innovative vessels were built for Southern Towing of Memphis Tennessee. As with the other three vessels the Arne Christiansen is powered by a pair of Tier 2 compliant Cummins QSK50 mains, each rated for 1,600 HP at 1800 RPM provides the power. The two engines are mounted aft on the main deck level. They turn short four-foot shafts to HRP Z-drives carrying 74.8-inch (1900 m/m) propellers in steerable nozzles.

The Department of Transportation has announced 70 grants totaling $98m in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that will be used to improve small shipyards throughout the United States. The funds, awarded through the Maritime Administration’s Assistance to Small Shipyards program, will help create and preserve jobs, provide valuable employment training and make much needed improvements to shipyards across the country. The Small Shipyards Grant program provides up to 75 percent in ARRA funds for a project and requires the remainder be matched by the shipyard. A detailed list of the grantees is as follows. •    Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc.,  Philadelphia, PA: $2,312,614, for the first year of training program.

Delivered from Steiner Shipyard in Bayou LaBatre on September 29, the first of Southern Towing's Cummins-powered Z-drive tugs is now pushing barges on the inland waterways. Photographer Jeff L. Yates has provided Cummins Marine with the attached shot of the Frank T. Stegbauer on the Ohio River at on September 30, 2008. According to the company newsletter several wheelmen have already gone for Z-drive training. At 120 x 34 ft., this is a mid-size inland waterway towboat. The vessel…

The State of North Carolina has been very good to shipbuilding companies along the Gulf Coast. In the last 10 years, nearly a dozen ferries have been built or substantially modernized in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. In just the past two years, the second largest state ferry system in the nation has built two 180-ft. car/passenger ferries and substantially renovated two additional vessels. The two new ferries are literally carbon copies of each other. "They were built from the same set of plans, so it is difficult to get two vessels any more similar than that," said Dan Noe, manager of quality assurance for the North Carolina Ferry Division.

Over the past three years the Spanish engine manufacturer Guascor has been making inroads into the U.S. workboat engine market. They not only have a good product, but also were fortunate enough to sign an agreement with the Marine Division of Reagan Equipment Company, Plaquemine, La. Reagan also distributes engines for John Deere and Waukesha, so the addition of Guascor fits well into their overall engine lineup. Over the past couple of years Reagan has sold dozens of Guascor engines to repower push boats. "Our Guascor engine line which includes 575 hp, 750 HP and 1150 HP at 1800 RPM have been good engines for this application," said Warren Berthelot, general manager of Reagan Marine.

Every year, MarineNews chooses a handful of vessels delivered in the past 12 months and bestows upon them the distinction of “Great Boats.” The boats are chosen for innovations in design, construction and utilization. Following are the 17 vessels or groups of vessels chosen as the Great Boats of 2000. Crowley Marine Services delivered Alert, Attentive, and Aware, a series of three 140-ft., 10,000-hp Prevention and Response Tugs (PRTs), to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in Valdez, Alaska. Specifically designed and developed for Alyeska, the boats will be used by Crowley in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System trade. Alert was deployed in February; Attentive was delivered in June, and Aware was delivered in July.

The State of North Carolina has the nation's second largest ferry system. Only the State of Washington's system is larger. Its 23 vessels annually carry 2.5 million passengers and one million vehicles. The ferry system is operated by the Ferry Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, which employs approximately 380 permanent employees. This number increase to approximately 450 during the summer season. There are four ferry routes on three bodies of water connecting the mainland with the offshore islands of Ocracoke, Hatteras and Notts Islands. Three routes cross the Cape Fear, Neuse and Pamlico Rivers. The Ferry Division also has a dredge, tugs, fuel barge and its own shipyard located in Manns Harbor.

There is no question that timely repairs and preventative maintenance can extend the life of almost any workboat. It is also true that changing market conditions can lead to renovations to effectively extend the life of many vessels. The one event that triggers many repair projects is the Coast Guard's five-year hull inspection program, often referred to as a "shave and a haircut". Most operators use these occasions to inspect shafts, wheels and do top side repairs as well. With the hull is out of the water, not only can shafts, rudders and wheels be repaired, but also anodes replaced, sea chests inspected and the entire bottom given a coat of anti-fouling paint.

The passenger vessel industry continues to be mired in a construction malaise with high-speed passenger only ferries and more conventional passenger auto ferries the only bright spot. The epicenter of the passenger vessel ferry business is the New York City metro area where dozens of new ferries have been added to replace the PATH and other subway lines destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Suddenly "the way to work" for thousands of commuters was severed. Recent deliveries into the area include five 79-foot catamarans for NY Waterway. They are single deck, 149-foot passenger only ferries. The company also has purchased two 340-passsenger fast ferries from NY Fast Ferry. The ramp up in New York City ferry services has not been without difficulties, however.

Today's commercial vessel owners are becoming increasingly creative in order to extend the life of existing vessels. Typically, a commercial steel hull can last for more than 50 years. However, rugged use may call for extensive repair of a vessel to keep it sailing. Market changes may demand that a vessel originally design for one mission is converted to a new and hopefully more profitable use. Most repair work done in shipyards is for five-year regulatory inspections to meet Coast Guard requirements. Often shafts and props are repaired during this inspection, as are sea chests and rudders. Anodes may be replaced as well. A high profile…

Today's commercial vessel owners are becoming increasingly creative in order to extend the life of existing vessels. Typically, a commercial steel hull can last for more than 50 years. However, rugged use may call for extensive repair of a vessel to keep it sailing. Market changes may demand that a vessel originally design for one mission is converted to a new and hopefully more profitable use. Most repair work done in shipyards is for five-year regulatory inspections to meet Coast Guard requirements. Often shafts and props are repaired during this inspection, as are sea chests and rudders. Anodes may be replaced as well. A high profile…

Advances in steel processing have enabled shipyards around the globe to streamline operations while vastly improving efficiency and quality. This fact is not lost on the shipyards of the Gulf of Mexico region, which in recent years have invested tens of millions of dollars in advanced systems designed to propel their yards into world class levels of quality and efficiency. Bender Shipbuilding’s transformation from a so-called “second tier” shipyard into a world-class facility is hinged on the success of its newly opened First Operations Shop. The new facility, which features the installation of a high powered laser cutting machine, will include operations such as raw plate and profile receipt and storage…

While consolidations and closures continue to reshape the ship and boatbuilding industry worldwide, 1999 ended on some positive notes, particularly for ship and boat building companies in the United States. U.S. builders, who have watched U.S. Navy business dwindle for more than a decade, have – with the help of the U.S. Maritime Administration – invested hundreds of millions of dollars and an endless amount of effort to restructure their shipyard’s structures, machinery and work flows. The result: a smaller but more capable base of companies that are geared to fulfill demands of traditional clients down the block as easily as they fulfill the demands of customers around the world. The efforts of many U.S.

While consolidations and closures continue to reshape the ship and boatbuilding industry worldwide, 1999 ended on some positive notes, particularly for ship and boat building companies in the United States. U.S. builders, who have watched U.S. Navy business dwindle for more than a decade, have – with the help of the U.S. Maritime Administration – invested hundreds of millions of dollars and an endless amount of effort to restructure their shipyard’s structures, machinery and work flows. The result: a smaller but more capable base of companies that are geared to fulfill demands of traditional clients down the block as easily as they fulfill the demands of customers around the world. The efforts of many U.S.

With origins as a family-owned repair yard tracing back to the 1920s, Steiner Shipyard has evolved into a present-day incorporated shipyard, with diversified interests. To be sure, fishing vessels - the company's bread and butter - still remain a priority for the Bayou la Batre, Ala.-based builder, but the company has found success in its diversification into workboats and passenger vessels, as well. In 1927, William Steiner (grandfather of present owner Russell Steiner), and his sons Joseph and Clarence (Russell's father) built six bay shrimpers. At the time, says Russell, they were considered big boats, measuring 46 ft. in length. The Steiner family owned and operated the vessels while continuing to run the repair yard. Two of the vessels, Sea Gull and Eagle, are still in use today.

Worldwide, the road to success in the ship and boatbuilding market is literally paved with companies that have gone belly up, been acquired or are currently hanging by a literal thread. Many factors -- from too many booms and busts, to foreign shipbuilding subsidies, to political power plays - have conspired to make the business of building boats and ships increasingly difficult. But in the end analysis, the process of building vessels remains an industrialized manufacturing process, and the companies that have survived and prospered are the ones that have invested in the latest technologies to make the process more efficient. Improved steel processing - from cutting through parts marking to final installation - more so than ever determine a yard's marketability…

McAllister Towing, of New York, recently purchased U.S. flag tugs Sea Racer and Puerto Nuevo from Crowley Marine Services, of Seattle. Sea Racer, originally built by Pacific Coast Engineering in 1966, measures 121 ft., and is powered by a single EMD 16-645E5, generating 2,875 bhp. The vessel will be renamed Buckley McAllister. Puerto Nuevo, a 96 ft., 1,530 bhp twin-screw tug, was built in 1964 by Equitable Equipment. The vessel is powered with twin CAT D398As and was on charter to McAllister at the time of the purchase. · Westview Dredging of British Columbia, Canada, has purchased 200 x 60 x 12 ft. ocean deck barge Barge 216 from Crowley Marine Services. Barge 216 was originally built by Jeffboat in 1970. · Promar, Inc. of Rockport, Texas has sold 65 ft.