MASTER BOAT BUILDERS INC
MASTER BOAT BUILDERS INC News
New $60m U.S. Defense Shipbuilding Facility Set to Open in 2027
Facility will include 150,000 square feet of covered manufacturing space optimized for serial productionNew yard will support 200 new jobs and expands shipbuilding capacity Master Boat Builders announced plans to build a new $60 million, 150,000 sq ft manufacturing facility dedicated exclusively to government and defense shipbuilding programs. The new 20-acre site is located directly across Bayou Coden…
Marine News Boat of the Year: William E Moran, First in Class
The William E. Moran has entered service in New York, bringing enhanced capability and performance to Moran’s evolving fleet. As the first vessel in the company’s next-generation class, it is purpose-built to meet the demands of modern port operations, support evolving customer needs, and advance Moran’s goals for safety, efficiency, and environmental responsibility. These next-generation tugs will be among the largest in the fleet…
Master Boat Builders: A Family Shipyard at Full Steam
Expansion into Harbor Tug sector helps Master Boat Builders nearly double in size, from 200 to 400 employees building eight to nine vessels per year, and the prospect of a new drydock plus additional partnerships and government construction contracts promises to power the company forward further, faster. Garrett Rice, President, Master Boat Builders, discussed the impetus for the company’s growth, and the growth in U.S.
Master Boat Builders Unveils State‑of‑the‑Art Floating Dry Dock to Boost Throughput
Master Boat Builders, Inc. announced it has taken delivery of a new floating dry dock, giving the company direct control over launch schedules and accelerating vessel deliveries.Designed and built by Conrad Shipyard, the dry dock measures 155’ long x 66’ wide with 41’ tall wing walls, features a 2,000‑ton lifting capacity, and incorporates a barge bow to enable efficient towing. Master Boat will use the dock to launch recently constructed vessels.
Next-gen Tugboat William E Moran Enters Service
The William E Moran, the first vessel in Moran's next-generation class, recently entered service in New York. Purpose-built, the next-gen tugs will be among the largest in the Moran fleet.Built by Master Boat Builders in Coden, Alabama and designed by Robert Allan Ltd., the William E Moran belongs to the RApport 2800 series. This modern ASD Tractor tug is engineered for high-performance escort and ship assist operations.
Master Boat, Austal Ink Shipbuilding Deal
Austal USA and Master Boat Builders, Inc. entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) establishing a strategic outsourcing partnership designed to expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity by increasing the ability of regional shipyards to take on large, complex programs for the U.S. government.The companies will collaborate on current programs under contract to Austal USA as well as collaborating on future efforts…
Opinion: A Smarter Path to Maritime Strength
Empowering Small and Medium Shipyards Through Strategic ReformAs the United States faces mounting global maritime challenges, from contested sea lanes to aging fleets, the need to expand and modernize our shipbuilding industrial base has never been more urgent. Yet the path forward must be more than a call for capacity. It must be a call for smarter capacity. That means a more distributed, resilient…
U.S. Shipbuilding Plots the Path Ahead
The military and Coast Guard budgets are established that will benefit the U.S. ship building and repair sector, but what will stimulate the commercial yards?This author has been scratching his head of late, after a thrilling dive into July’s U.S. Big Beautiful Bill Act, and has asked several colleagues where the funding for support commercial shipbuilding can be found? To answer that, we need to look…
Gulf LNG Tugs Orders Four New Vessels to Serve Port Arthur LNG Export Facility
Gulf LNG Tugs of Port Arthur on Thursday announced it has placed orders for four new escort tugs to serve the Port Arthur LNG export facility in Texas. Two will be constructed by Master Boat Builders in Coden, Ala., and two by Sterling Shipyard in Port Neches, Texas. Gulf LNG Tugs—a joint venture comprised of Bay-Houston Towing, Moran Towing Corporation and Suderman & Young Towing Company—said the new high horsepower…
Master Boat Builders Launches New Tug for Moran Towing
Master Boat Builders has launched Patricia B. Moran, a new tugboat it is building for Moran Towing Corporation, based in New Canaan, Conn.The newbuild is one of two 86-foot (LOA) tugs the Coden, Ala. shipbuilder is building for Moran. Ordered in 2022, the tugs were designed by Crowley Engineering Services and will produce a bollard pull of over 55 metric tons. The vessel will each feature two Caterpillar main engines (3512E) that are EPA Tier 4 certified and produce 2…
Crowley Christens the US' First Electric Tug eWolf
Crowley on Tuesday christened its new vessel, eWolf, the first all-electric ship assist tugboat in the United States.Set to enter commercial service at the Port of San Diego this week, the 82-foot tug was built by Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders and designed by Crowley’s engineering services team to operate on full electric power, producing zero carbon emissions and 70-ton bollard pull…
Marine News' 2024 US Shipbuilding Report
If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds…
On Board the eWolf: The First Electric Tugboat in the US
Crowley Maritime Corporation has owned and operated a lot of vessels since its founding in 1892. But the latest vessel to join its fleet is unlike any other that has come before it.Crowley’s new harbor tug, eWolf, is unique in that it runs 100% powered by batteries, not diesel engines, meaning it produces zero emissions and nearly no noise. Not only is the vessel the first fully electric tug in the Crowley fleet…
Crowley's All-electric Harbor Tug eWolf Delivered
Crowley on Wednesday announced it has taken delivery of its groundbreaking vessel eWolf, the first all-electric, ship assist harbor tugboat in the United States.The 82-foot tug, designed by Crowley’s engineering services team and built by Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders, will enter service at the Port of San Diego this spring following final demonstration trials and completion of Crowley’s microgrid shoreside charging station.
Crowley's All-electric Tug eWolf Starts Sea Trials
The first all-electric tugboat built in the United States, Crowley's eWolf, has started sea trials along the U.S. Gulf Coast.The 82-foot ship assist tug, built by Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders, is expected to enter service at the Port of San Diego in 2024. Video footage of the vessel on sea trials was shared by Crowley on social media.The eWolf is designed to operate on full electric power, producing zero carbon emissions and expected 70 ton bollard pull strength.
Gulf LNG Orders Four New Tugs
Gulf LNG Tugs of Brownsville has ordered four new tugs to serve the Rio Grande LNG export facility (RGLNG), which has commenced construction in Brownsville, Texas.Gulf LNG Tugs is a joint venture formed between Bay-Houston Towing Co., Moran Towing Corporation and Suderman & Young Towing Company to provide tug services for RGLNG under a long-term tug services agreement.The company announced Tuesday it signed construction contracts with Coden, Ala.
Birdon Taps Master Boat Builders to Build WCC Superstructure
Birdon America announced it has selected Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders to build the superstructures for the U.S. Coast Guard's Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) program.In 2022, Birdon was awarded a contract worth up to $1.187 billion to design and build up to 27 new vessels under the WCC program, including 16 River Buoy Tenders (WLR) and 11 Inland Construction Tenders (WLIC). The vessels…
Crowley Breaks Ground in San Diego for All-electric Tugboat Charging Station
Crowley and the Port of San Diego broke ground for the shoreside charging station designed to provide clean energy for the company’s forth-coming zero-emissions tugboat, eWolf.The charging station is a microgrid charging facility that will allow vessels to recharge quickly while reducing peak loads on the community energy grid. It is equipped with two containerized energy storage systems provided by Corvus Energy.
Moran Towing Orders Two More Tugs from Master Boat Builders
New Canaan, Conn. based towage provider Moran Towing Corporation announced it has ordered another pair of tugs from Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders for delivery through 2025.The newbuilds, developed by Moran in collaboration with Vancouver, B.C. naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd., are RApport 2800 escort tugs designed to provide more than 80 metric tons of bollard pull. At 92 feet and with a breadth of 40 feet…
Master Boat Builders Delivers New Tug to Bay Houston Towing
Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders has delivered the new tug Hayden Grace to Bay Houston Towing Co. for operations in Galveston, Texas.The new 85-foot-long vessel is the first in a series of three RApport 2600 tug designed by Canadian firm Robert Allan Ltd. ordered by Bay Houston Towing. The design team and the client worked to address operational challenges the vessel would face. Main features…
