Seaspan International News

“We got 59,115 hours on those engines, without ever removing a head,” says Seaspan International’s Port Engineer Kevin Tweedy, “And they were still running. So, at 5,000 to 5,500 hours per year, we could easily have done 60,000 hours.”But the company schedule worked to do a like-for-like repower. The pair of 850-horsepower Tier 1 Cummins KTA38 diesels were pulled out, and a brand-new set of 850-horsepower Tier 2 KTA38s went in.The Seaspan Cavalier was built in 1974, along with three sister ships.

For more than fifteen years Robert Allan Ltd. has had tugs built to their designs by a cadre of Turkish shipyards. In that 15 years there has been almost one new tug delivery every month to a Robert Allan Ltd. design in Turkey. To date more than 150 tugs have been Turkish-built, and even in a slightly reduced market this year, compared to the heady days of 2008–2009, there are at least 15 Robert Allan Ltd. designs under construction there today. Robert Allan Ltd.’s first Turkish client was the tug-owner/shipbuilder Sanmar Denizcilik Ltd.

According to a Sept. 29 report from BIV Business Today, a new set of state-of-the-art tugboats will ply the waters of Burrard Inlet next year, Seaspan International Ltd. announced. The North Vancouver company recently signed a contract with Turkey’s Sanmar Denizcilik Shipyard to build four ship assist tugs, the largest build commitment of a single class of vessels for the company in more than three decades. Vancouver-based naval architects Robert Allan Ltd. designed the RAstar 28m tugs. (Source: BIV Business Today)

Seaspan International announced the largest tug build commitment of a single class of vessels in over 35 years. The company signed a contract with Sanmar Denizcilik Shipyard, of Istanbul Turkey; to build four state-of-the-art ship assist tugs. The prime duties for these tugs will be to dock, undock and escort ships in Vancouver Harbor and Roberts Bank. The RAstar 28 m tugs will feature full fire fighting capability and upon arrival will be amongst the most powerful vessels to sail BC waters.

Edoc welcomed new customers McAllister Towing and Transportation, Seaspan International and Florida Marine Transporters in 2010. Edoc also reported sales of additional Helm software modules to existing customers Blessey Marine Services and Island Tug & Barge. “We’re very pleased with the addition of Seaspan, McAllister and Florida Marine,” said Ron deBruyne, CEO of Edoc Systems Group. DeBruyne also explained the increase in current customer sales. “Most new customers initially purchase Helm Dispatch Manager, which centralizes and manages all dispatch and invoicing functions. Once they see its effect on resource allocation and operational efficiency…

With a little over a month and several hundred hours on the KTA38 engines of the newly built Seaspan Tempest and Seaspan Venture, British Columbia’s largest towing company, Seaspan International has installed another pair of Cummins KTA38s in their 83-ft. (25.3-m) tug Seaspan Cavalier. The Cavalier is one of four in its class, the others are the Seaspan Cutlass, Seaspan Crusader and Seaspan Corsair. Built in 1975 at Vancouver Shipyards, the Cavalier returned to the same yard, an associated company with Seaspan, for the installation of the new engines.

American Commercial Lines LLC announced that Stephen A. Frasher will step down as President and CEO effective April 30, 2004. ACL will make the following executive changes on that date. Richard L. Huber will assume the position of Chief Executive Officer of American Commercial Lines LLC. Mr. Huber has been a member of the ACL Board since 2000, and currently serves as its Chairman. Mr. Huber has over forty years of investment and merchant banking, international business, and management experience, having held executive positions with Chase Manhattan Bank, Citibank, Bank of Boston, and Continental Bank. He was most recently CEO of Aetna, Inc.

Seaspan International is having a very attractive pair of new tugs finished up at their Vancouver Shipyardd ivision. The hulls were fabricated in China and shipped across the Pacific by barge. When the two 64 by 23-ft. tugs are completed with the addition of machinery and deckhouses, they will be the result of several years design and planning that included significant input from the operations end of the towing company. Over the past 20 years, Canadian tonnage regulations have created a generation of beamy 50-footers in British Columbia. These new boats have gone beyond this limit to define a new generation of tug with a fine longer double-chined hull. The hull has a molded depth held to 10.4-ft.

A device that increases the efficiency of barges is gaining in popularity on the West Coast, especially for Seattle to Alaska and Southeast Alaska runs. Many people report that Hydralift skegs substantially increase the efficiency of towed barges. This results in either increased towing speed or reduced fuel consumption because the horsepower required to tow at the same speed decreases. The Lynden Companies, Alaska Railbelt Marine (ARM) and Alaska Marine Lines (AML), have several barges with Hydralift skegs and another currently under construction. They are using the barges on Seattle to Alaska runs and runs within Southeast Alaska. Western Towboat Company, Inc., which does all the towing for ARM and AML, has two gravel barges with Hydralift skegs themselves.