Mile Mark News

The Delaware River Pilots Association recently contracted with Carey's Diesel to repower a vessel with a pair of Isotta Fraschini marine diesel engines, rated at 550 hp @ 2,400 rpm. This is the third vessel the Pilots Association has chosen to repower using Isotta Fraschini engines. The first Isotta Fraschini repowers were two 56,000-lb. vessels named Wilmington and Delaware. Wilmington's two 8V-72T Detroit Diesel two-cycle, eight cylinder engines were replaced with two V1308T2 MLH Isotta Fraschini four-stroke, V-8 cylinder marine diesel engines. Delaware's two 8V-92 Detroit Diesel two-cycle, eight cylinder engines were replaced with a pair of V1312T2 MLH Isotta Fraschini four-stroke, V-12 cylinder marine diesel engines.

The grounding of the oil tanker Westchester in the Mississippi river has had no immediate impact on the freight market but brokers say it could spark a longer term flight to quality, causing freight rates to rise further. "The Westchester was an 1981-built ship so there'll be a renewed focus on modern ships," said one Oslo-based tanker broker. Other sources talked of a self-imposed ban by charterers on single-hulled ships. "So far there's been no visible effect on rates," Reuters reported a U.S. The 83,000-ton Westchester ran aground on Tuesday close to the 38-mile mark of the Mississipi river as a result of losing power due to an engine failure.