First of Three New ATBs Delivered for Vane Brothers

The Vane Brothers Company continues to expand its fleet with new vessel construction. This February, the marine transportation company took delivery of the first of three new ATB tugs from the Conrad Orange Shipyard in Orange, Texas.

The first boat is the Assateague, and the other two boats will be the Chincoteague and Wachapreague.

Designed by Greg Castleman of Castleman Maritime, LLC, located in League City, Texas, each 110-foot by 38-foot tug is being mated to an 80,000-barrel barges designed by Bristol Harbor Group and being built by Conrad Industries of Amelia, La. These barges measure 405 feet by 74 feet.

Each ATB unit utilizes a Beacon-Finland JAK 700 tug/barge coupling system. Crew access to the barges is facilitated by a Schoelhorn-Albrecht custom gangway. Coastal Marine Equipment of Gulfport MS is supplying deck capstans on the tugs.

A pair of Cummins QSK60M, Tier 3 engines, each rated at 2,200 HP are providing propulsion power. They are coupled to Reintjes WAF 873 gears with 7.087:1 reduction and turn 102-inch 4-blade bronze propellers mounted on 9.5-inch shafts. Two Cummins QSB7-DM-powered 125 kW generators provide electrical power for each vessel with a Cummins powered 60 kW emergency generator.

The tugs will have accommodation for up to ten crew members. The Cummins-powered boats will be classed ABS-A1 TUG, AMS, ABCU.