-
18 Feb 2019
New Power for Alaskan Classic
Thousands of people travel Alaska on mega-cruise ships each year, but only a handful get to cruise Alaskan waters on the immaculate M/V LISERON. Built in Seattle in 1952 by the US Navy as a minesweeper she was sold to France, but returned to Seattle in 1990 after being lovingly converted to yacht-class in Florida.The late Michael Allan McIntosh, philanthropist and environmentalist, founded The Boat Company in 1979, initially as a program of The McIntosh Foundation.
-
01 Oct 2018
Powerful Shallow-Draft Paraguay Towboat
Paraguay’s Tsuneishi Shipyard, a subsidiary of the Japanese firm of the same name, recently delivered the powerful towboat Tebicuary 3 to her owners Navegación del Sur S.A. (Navesur) in June of 2018. The new vessel is a near sister-ship to the 2015-delivered Ceasar Primo for a different owner. The newer vessel will also work on the Paraguay-Paraná River system that provides marine access to large parts…
-
23 Aug 2018
Repower on Germany’s Inland Waterway
Germany is located on the divide between the South flowing Danube system and the north flowing Mainz River which is a tributary of the Rhine. Since 1992 the remarkable Rhine-Mainz-Danube canal and locks have connected the two systems allowing cargos to travel from the North Sea to the Mediterranean via the Black Sea. This allows inland river cargo vessels access to thousands of kilometers or inland waters.
-
16 Jul 2018
German Search and Rescue Fleet Upgrades
SAR, the universal designation for Search And Rescue, can appear as a designation on air, land or marine vehicles in many different countries. Always the vehicle and the people who provide the service are treated with respect. For those who are saved from life threatening situations, SAR takes on an even greater value.Among small recreational and fishing boats along Germany’s coastlines, the SAR people have a proud history.
-
09 Jul 2018
Nordic Lady: Keeping a Good Boat Up to Date
When Trygve Westergard bought the 98- by 28-foot Judi B in the spring of 2016 he was entering a new chapter in a varied marine career. Growing up on a remote island off Ketchikan, Alaska as the third generation of Norwegian-Danish family, he had fishing in his blood and his environment. A stint at the California Maritime Academy earned him an unlimited masters license and a BS in marine transportation.After…
-
18 Jun 2018
Interesting Launch for Interesting Tugs
The ownership of the Canadian firm Island Tug and Barge has changed with the purchase by the U.S. parent company Tidewater Inc. The firm is now known as Island Tug.The second tug, with the hull and superstructure completed and with the Cummins K38s installed still requires more work, was also launched in early May of 2018.The vessels were built in a warehouse on the Fraser River. With no launching facility and a railway track between the yard and the steep bank of the river…
-
04 Jun 2018
Work Boat Large for US Navy
From powerful seine skiffs for the Alaskan salmon fishery to sturdy and practical crew boats for the safe transfer of workers on marine construction jobs, Snow Boat Building has been attracting attention on the West Coast. Based in Seattle, the firm is known for its quality aluminum fabrication and general commercial boat repair.Recently the builder has won a contract to construct a 40- by 17-foot U.S. Navy Workboat Large.
-
11 May 2018
Efficient New Dinner Cruiser
Wise visitors to Bangkok will be sure to take a Chao Phraya river cruise past the spectacular Temple of the Dawn, Wat Arun, and the glories of the golden spired Grand Palace. The ultimate way to do this is on a dinner cruise with a buffet of the celebrated Thai food.This has become such a popular experience that the river at night becomes a spectacular parade of beautifully lit low-slung river cruise ships gliding under bridges and moving sedately amidst that city’s lights and sights.
-
09 Apr 2018
Oceanjet: Building to a Proven Design
With more than 2,000 inhabited islands among a total of 7,000, the Philippines are a natural location for a ferry business. Until the 1990s, the Oceanjet’s parent company was in the business of barging heavy cargos between islands, but an opportunity to purchase a fast ferry started them on another path.With the purchase of Ocean Jet 1, their first ferry, the company began the steady process of growth for their ferry operation from their base in Cebu.
-
03 Apr 2018
Fishing Vessel Repowered after Big Hours
After 60,000 hours of service, crab fisherman Robert Ross decided that his 19-liter Cummins 1150M had earned a rest. The 500 HP engine had been a perfect match for his 72- by 26-foot aluminum boat so he ordered up a new Cummins KTA19-M3 at 500 HP, continuous duty, from his local supplier Cummins Sales and Service in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in eastern Canada. Ross had his well-maintained 39-year-old boat, the Kara-Matt, hauled out at a shipyard and Dugas Equipment Ltd.
-
01 Mar 2018
Krilo Jesenice: Village of the Cruisers
Driving south on the coastal highway from the ancient city of Split in Croatia in late October, one is amazed to come on a forest of masts. These are not your usual sailboat masts lined in orderly rows in a marina, they are masts of all shapes and they are supported by a range of what at first appear to be spectacularly well maintained mega-yachts. A few are classic, bright finished wood but bold, white, steel-hulled ships with cruise ship style raked bows predominate.
-
15 Feb 2018
Triple-screw Tug for the Hudson
“The Daisy Mae is the closest you can get to Z-drive maneuverability, without the cost of Z-drive,” maintains her builder Joseph Rodriguez of Rodriguez Ship Building Inc. in Bayou LaBatre, Ala. Rodriguez has designed and built a lot of tugs over the years and doesn’t make this claim lightly. Further more he backs it up with his description of the beamy 82 by 32-foot tug that his yard delivered to Coeymans Marine Towing.
-
31 Jan 2018
Refurbished Tug James T Ready for Work
This winter will see the tug James T (ex PT Thompson) back at work after a major refurbishment. The James T, named for the founder of Campbell Towing, James T. Campbell, was built in 1982. The 85.4 by 32.3-foot tug had been powered by a pair of 1,000 HP Cat 3512 engines; these were replaced by a pair of bright red EPA Tier III-compliant 1,000 HP Cummins QSK38 mains. Both the old and the new engine sets turned into Twin Disc MG540 gears with 6.18:1 rations.
-
12 Jan 2018
Inside Modutech Marine’s Work Boat Medium
The U.S. Navy has some spectacular vessels, from submarines to high speed RIBs. They also have dedicated ports and support facilities worldwide. A practical reality of all of this is that the Navy requires efficient and handy boats to support the warhorses. To meet this requirement John Myers of the naval architect firm Hockema & Whalen and Associates have developed a 30 by 15-foot tug with a 5.5-foot draft.
-
20 Nov 2017
Strategic Marine: Innovative Quality
As ferry operators search for efficiency to reduce pollutants and operating costs, the importance of design, quality construction, and efficient propulsion become ever more important. Such is clearly the case with the Netherlands-based ferry operator Rederij Doeksen, whose two BMT Nigel Gee designed ferries are currently under construction at Strategic Marine’s Vietnam yard for operations between Harlingen on the mainland and the islands of Terschelling and Vlieland.
-
09 Nov 2017
Interferry: Diverse Operations Common Successes
In October the world’s ferry operators gathered in Split Croatia for the Forty Second Annual Interferry Conference. The 470 or so delegates represented 210 operators and support companies from 27 countries. A trade show included firms from around the world including shipbuilders, naval architects, equipment suppliers, training and others of the diverse group that make up the ferry industry. In a panel on Mediterranean Ferries…
-
07 Nov 2017
Yacht Class Working Boats
Croatian tourism has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. The great bulk of this is along the Adriatic coast where, as it has for centuries, life revolves around the sea. Tourists rent sail boats, take coastal cruises or travel to the many island that sit in the crystal Adriatic waters along the length of Croatia. A popular way of experiencing the coast and its islands, is to hire a speed boat and have a knowledgeable local skipper take you out for a day trip.
-
23 Aug 2017
Bangkok’s Chao Phraya Tourist Boat
Many visitors to Bangkok will experience a ride on the Chao Phraya Express boats. These long, sleek, wooden, commuter boats, with their dramatically raked bows, are a staple of the river’s traffic. They can also be very crowded and, with many stops, a bit of a challenge to the tourist. A popular alternative is the tourist boats. These vessels have a more limited route and series of stops, all of which are near important tourist destinations such as the Grand Palace and Wat Arun…
-
09 Aug 2017
A Versatile Harbor Tug
The azimuthing stern drive (ASD) format has become the norm for a great many tugs working in vessel assist around the world’s ports. They now far outnumber the full tractor tugs with the azimuthing drives set forward under the house as do they the cycloidal drive tugs. Often, the ASD tugs are dedicated ship-handling units with a single hawser winch forward. However, a lot of owners, looking to maintain diversity of applications and markets are adding a towing winch aft as well.
-
27 Apr 2017
TUMSAT: More than a Rowing School
Philippine-born Ananya Surangpimol won a prestigious scholarship to Japan in 1971 and, after a year of intensive Japanese, entered Tokyo University of Fisheries, one of the first Asian women to do so in a former all-male imperial university. There she completed a master’s degree in food science but one of her favorite memories of her attendance at this former naval academy was being required to swim a kilometer in the open sea and row a big 12-oar cutter in her freshman year.