Are OSVs Fit for Refit for Offshore Wind?
While it is generally agreed that the nascent offshore wind energy market in the U.S. will be a newbuild market, there is a repair and conversion possibility for some stacked OSVs.Though estimates on the pace of the offshore wind energy market in the U.S. vary widely, the direction is clear: offshore wind will be a huge marketplace for construction and support vessels to be deployed in U.S. waters over the next decade. The starting point for estimated vessel demand is the raft of projects along the U.S. East Coast, and to a lesser extent, in the Pacific waters, now in the pipeline.
GIMF Completes Construction of New Liftboat, The Bellator
Gulf Island Marine Fabricators (GIMF) has just completed construction of a new liftboat, The Bellator, for C.S. Liftboats, Inc, Abbeville, La. The Bellator is ABS Classed A-1, AMS, and Mobile Offshore Unit. The new boat, designed by A.K. Suda Inc. Metairie, LA measures 150’x118’x12’-8” and carries accommodations for 46 people. The new liftboat features three 300-foot legs with a working depth of 235 feet and a maximum deck elevation of 282 feet above the mud line. The Bellator has 9…
Conrad Aluminum to Deliver First Crew/Supply Boat
Conrad Industries, Morgan City, La. opened a crew/supply boat fabrication and repair facility in nearby Amelia, La. about a year ago. Since that time they have used their 330-ton Marine Travelift to haul out and repair various crew boats. "We do a lot of basic underwater repairs such as shafts, props and rudders, said Jerry Hoffpauir, general manager of Conrad Aluminum. The 16-acre facility sits on Route 90 in the heart of south Louisiana boat building country. The company also built a two bay fabrication building on the site and one of those bays hold what Conrad thinks will be the future of this facility. Conrad Aluminum is building a 180-ft. by 32-ft. aluminum crew/supply boat for Diamond Services, also of Amelia.
Suda’s Jacob Liftboats to Aid Gulf Clean-up
The Jacob, a $17.8m boat designed by Metairie-based A.K. Suda Inc. for CS Liftboats, recently launched in the Gulf of Mexico on July 14. According to the New Orleans Business Center, the move helps alleviate a five- to six-boat demand for post-Katrina cleanup. Liftboats are considered the transport trucks of the offshore oil industry. Industry analysts predicted a backlog of months for liftboats after Hurricane Katrina. Insurers paid out more than $8b in claims for storm damage in the Gulf of Mexico, and demand is rampant for liftboats to handle cleanup and repairs.Most liftboats use only a portion of possible leg length because a crane is attached to the legs. Suda’s team placed the 200-ton crane on the liftboat’s deck. Engineers shaved roughly 15 ft.
News: Fast Vessel, Big Payload
About two years ago A. K. Suda, Inc. was approached by LaForce Shipyard of Bayou LaBatre, Ala., to design a crew/supply boat that would be faster, carry more deck load and more passengers and still be economical to build. The result: a 160 x 32-ft. high speed crew/supply boat that was recently delivered by LaForce from its Alabama yard. The 160-ft. vessel, powered by four Caterpillar 3512 DITA engines at 1,575 hp each, reached speeds of 29 knot with light load and 28 knots with 100 Long Tons of liquid cargo in recent sea trials. The cargo deck at 100 x 28-ft. offers 40 percent more deck space than other vessels this size and can carry 290 ST of cargo, about 38 percent more than competing vessels. Cargo weight is 540 lbs./sq. ft.
