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Taisei News

21 Jun 2019

Bludworth Marine Relocates HQ to Galveston

Photo courtesy of Bludworth

As of June 1, 2019, Bludworth Marine, LLC has relocated their corporate headquarters to Galveston, Texas. The new location, at 320 77th Street, is minutes from the Bludworth Marine 100' x 300' graving dock location and the Port of Galveston Pier 38 dockside location. This proximity will allow quicker response and service to the continually increasing marine repair service business in Galveston and surrounding areas. The new 3.5-acre site location also includes a 75' x 150' high bay fabrication shop with a 10-ton overhead crane…

20 Feb 2018

Marine News Boat of the Month: February 2018

In late November 2017, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD), the largest provider of dredging services in the United States and a major provider of environmental and infrastructure services, took delivery of the new build ATB hopper dredge Ellis Island and tug Douglas B. Mackie after successful completion of United States Coast Guard and ABS regulatory sea trials. Representing a substantial reinvestment in the GLDD (and U.S. flag dredging) fleet, Ellis Island significantly…

28 Nov 2017

US' Largest Hopper Dredger Delivered

Ellis Island (Photo: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation)

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation has taken delivery of the newly built ATB hopper dredge Ellis Island and tug Douglas B. Mackie following completion of U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) regulatory sea trials. The Jones Act dual mode articulated tug/barge (ATB) trailing suction hopper dredge was built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. David Simonelli, President of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation's dredging division, said, “This advanced vessel which improves the competitiveness of our hopper group and represents a substantial reinvestment in our fleet.

15 Mar 2017

New ATB Builds for Island Tug & Barge

A worker’s torch cuts metal in the raised forecastle that will house the pin rooms. (Photo: Haig-Brown/Cummins)

Over the years Vancouver, BC based Island Tug and Barge (ITB) has refurbished and repowered older vessels and completed new vessels. The company is currently working on its most ambitious and innovative project to date. In its Annacis Island Shipyard, located undercover in a pair of huge leased warehouses on the Fraser River, ITB is building two tugs that will be paired with two of its existing barges. The two boats are built with pins for use in an articulated tug and barge application.

24 Jul 2015

Japan Places Focus on Maritime Education

Photo: IMO

Present and future maritime education and training needs were the focus of an international symposium held during the 2015 World Maritime Day Parallel Event hosted in Japan’s port city of Yokohama and its capital Tokyo, July 20-21. The event was held in conjunction with Japan’s Marine Day, a national holiday. The opening session, held in Tokyo, was attended by Shinzō Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, and addressed by Akihiro Ohta, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan.

29 Sep 2014

GLDD, ESG in Steel Cutting Ceremony

Eastern Shipbuilding is pleased to announce that on, Monday, September 15, 2014, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC “(Great Lakes”) (NASDAQ: GLDD) and Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) cut steel starting the construction of a new Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge ATB . The cutting ceremony of the 433’ Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge Barge took place in Eastern’s under roof pre-fabrication building at its Allanton facility in Panama City, Florida. This indoor facility supports both of Eastern’s new construction facilities with state of the art equipment and a highly skilled workforce.

28 Sep 2014

Eastern Shipbuilding Start Construction of Dredge Barge ATB for Great Lakes

Eastern Shipbuilding is pleased to announce that on, Monday, September 15, 2014, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC  and Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) cut steel starting the construction of a new Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge ATB . The cutting ceremony of the 433’ Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge Barge took place in Eastern’s under roof pre-fabrication building at its Allanton facility in Panama City, Florida. This indoor facility supports both of Eastern’s new construction facilities with state of the art equipment and a highly skilled workforce. • WHEELOBRATOR Automatic Shot-blasting and Painting Machine for steel plate and shapes. • MESSER MG CNC (NC) plasma cutting and burning machine with four (4) 10’x40’ dry cutting tables.

07 Jul 2014

Demand for Coastal and Transoceanic ATBs Grows

Along the way, ATBs gain speed, efficiency, safety – and popularity. Operators of articulated tugs and barges, or ATBs, say they like the maneuverability, weather reliability, stability, speed of these units, and the manner in which the tug pushes the barge. As a marine transportation concept, they can also simply be described as versatile. ATBs move petroleum, chemicals, coal, grain, containerized cargo and rail cars for customers on the U.S. coasts, rivers, the Great Lakes and overseas. As a result, demand for articulated units expanded in the last two decades with new technology.

31 Aug 2012

Ocean Tug & Barge Designing AT/B Dredge Tug

Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corp. will design the tug portion of a new AT/B dredge to be built at Signal International, in Orange, TX, for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. The “RAPID” Class AT/B’s high speed parent form lines for both the tug and the barge were developed by OT&BE and Taisei Engineering, of Tokyo. MARIN is adapting the lines to the specific dredge requirements and engaging in the associated optimization. The design feathers near-ship speeds with ship-like horsepower and is a great advance in AT/B design. Container AT/B’s under design with the same hulls will be capable of 16+ knots at near-ship HP levels. OT&BE will also design the supporting structure in the notch area of the barge to accept the Articouple connection system that will be used to connect the tug and barge.

12 May 2010

Taisei Engineering & Bludworth Cook Partnership

Photo courtesy Richard Bludworth

Taisei Engineering of Tokyo Japan and Bludworth Cook Marine of Houston, Texas have partnered to provide sales, service and support in the United States for the ATB systems manufactured by Taisei Engineering of Japan. Since 1972 Taisei Engineering has sold 245 ATB units worldwide. Their ATB systems are divided into two series --- 2-pin supporting articulate connection Articouple, similar to those manufactured in the United States, and 3-pin supporting rigid connection Triofix --- and…

04 Mar 2009

Bids Submitted to Build New Panama Canal Locks

On track and on time, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) continues to press ahead with the start of the bid process for the most important project under its Expansion Program – the construction of the new set of locks. On March 3, the ACP received proposals from three consortia competing to design and build the new, modern and state-of-the-art locks on the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the Panama Canal. The three consortia that submitted bids included: Consorcio C.A.N.A.L; Consortium Bechtel, Taisei, Mitsubishi Corporation and Consorcio Grupo Unidos por el Canal. The ACP will evaluate the proposals and will award the contract for best value – 55 percent for the technical aspect and 45 percent for the bid price. The consortia submitted their price and technical proposals.

18 Feb 2009

Panama Canal Bid Evaluators Selected

On Feb. 15, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced the final composition of the ACP Evaluation Committee that will review proposals submitted by consortia vying to win the largest contract under the $5.25b Canal Expansion Program – the design and construction of the new set of locks. The Committee is comprised of 15 Canal employees selected through a rigorous progress launched in October 2007. “The selection of the Evaluation Committee is the next step in the fair, rigorous and transparent process to award the locks contract,” said ACP Contracts Administration Manager Francisco Miguez. “Since releasing the request for proposals in August 2007, we have received interest from some of the world’s most renowned companies to construct the new set of locks.

13 Feb 2009

Panama Canal Expansion Briefing

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta delivered an address on Feb. 11 at the 2009 Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Logistics Conference in Dallas, Texas. In front of approximately 900 global logistics leaders, Mr. Alemán Zubieta highlighted the anticipated benefits of Canal expansion, which is progressing on-time and on-budget, and will help Canal customers to efficiently deliver products to consumers around the world. He also pointed out the rapid growth of Panama as the transportation and logistics hub of the Americas. Slated for completion in 2014, the $5.25b Expansion Program will double Canal capacity by building a new lane of traffic.

13 Feb 2009

Panama Canal Selects Deloitte as Auditor

In a move to ensure a fair, open and transparent process in the awarding of the largest contract under the Panama Canal Expansion Program, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) selected Deloitte as the ACP’s new third set of locks contracting auditor on Feb. 10. In that capacity, Deloitte will oversee the technical aspect for the new third set of locks contract. Specifically, Deloitte will work closely with the ACP to audit, verify and certify that the ACP’s Evaluation Committee follows the rigorous analysis process to evaluate the technical proposals to be submitted by the qualifying consortia. “All ACP contracts undergo a very rigorous process to ensure fairness and transparency,” said Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta.

12 Feb 2009

Panama Canal Locks Proposals Due in March

March 3rd will mark an important date in the Panama Canal Expansion Program. The four prequalified consortia – containing more than 30 companies – will submit their proposals to design and build the new set of locks that will constitute the core of the Canal’s new lane of traffic. The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has put a process in place to select the winner for what will be the largest contract under the $5.25b program. The selection process will build off the ACP’s already comprehensive expansion contracting process and will ensure a fair, rigorous and transparent selection. The process will be detailed in the coming weeks. On March 3, consortia submissions will be separated into two submissions – price and technical proposals.

31 Dec 2007

Panama Canal Requests Proposals For New Locks Construction

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) released its Request for Proposal (RFP) Friday on the "design-build" contract for the new locks under the Canal's Expansion Program. Four global consortia will now move forward with their bids on what will be the largest and most important project under the $5.25b expansion. The Expansion Program will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, doubling capacity and allowing more traffic and longer, wider ships. The ACP will meet with consortia representatives in February 2008 regarding the content of the RFP for the construction of the new set of locks. Proposals are due August 2008.

19 Dec 2007

Four Global Consortia To Bid To Build Panama Canal Locks

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced that four global consortia have been selected to bid on the "design-build contract" to create the locks for the Panama Canal expansion. The Expansion Program will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, doubling capacity and allowing more traffic and longer, wider ships. In what will be the largest and most important project under the $5.25 billion expansion, the winner of this contract will design and build two locks complexes. Each of the four consortia will be allowed to respond to the ACP's Request for Proposal (RFP), which is expected to be released very soon.

08 Sep 2004

New Costwise ATB Design from Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering

Claiming "an advancement in the art of tug and barge design," Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering (OT&B), Milford, Conn., has introduced a new ATB design "based on the firm's long experience and highly successful specialization in this market," said OT&BE President Robert Hill. The company's Costwise AT/B series are targeted to attain higher unit speeds at sea, better maneuverability and improvements in habitability, constructability and ergonomics. "The Costwise AT/B design will be adaptable to the broader, worldwide market, while still meeting the unique design requirements of the U.S. market," Hill said. The company says it has had a hand either in the design or refit engineering of over one-half of the ATBs operation in the United States.

11 Sep 2002

The ATB:A History of the State-of-the-Art

(This is Part I of a two-part series on the Articulated Tug Barge from Robert P. Hill. The American coastwise shipping business has grown in a way that differs from many other nations. The high cost of manning and building ships has led over the years to a coastwise transportation network dominated by tugs and barges. • Weather delays caused by the uncertainties of towing of a barge in heavy weather, especially a barge carrying petroleum and chemical products, are a constant problem. Towing a large barge in heavy seas just off the coast is a risky business. The possibility of parted towlines, (not to mention the reality in several hundred cases) and lost, drifting barges, has haunted tug and barge operators - as well as the customers they serve - for years.