Allen Marine News

Scania was selected by Allen Marine Tours to power a pair of their eco tour vessels. The two 78-foot QUAD powered vessels will each be repowered with Scania V8 DI16 082M, 800 HP engines delivered by Cascade Engine Center. The custom-built catamarans are capable of 30 plus knots at their full capacity of 150 passengers, and speeds in excess of 35 knots with a lighter load.“We have seen a lot of interest in our V8,16-liter engines by tour operators in ecologically sensitive areas like Alaska due to their low environmental impact…

Pacific Northwest aluminum boatbuilder BRIX Marine announced it has built a new whale watching vessel for Allen Marine Whale Watching Tours in Sitka, Alaska.The custom-built vessel Eagle is 48 feet long with an 18-foot beam, and its lightship weight is approximately 31,000 pounds.Powered by quad Suzuki 350-horsepower engines, the vessel boasts an array of features tailored to elevate the whale watching journey, BRIX Marine said. The vessel is constructed with 5086 alloy aluminum hull skins…

Eighteen people were rescued from a 35-foot whale-watching motor vessel taking on water in Favorite Channel near Juneau, Alaska, Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. Watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector Juneau received a call from a crewmember of the whale-watching vessel Big Red reporting they were taking on water in Favorite Channel. An urgent marine information broadcast requesting any vessels in the area to assist was subsequently issued. The rescue was performed by U.S. Coast Guard Sector Juneau, along with multiple Good Samaritan vessels. All 16 passengers and two crewmembers aboard Big Red were recovered and embarked onto motor vessel St.

Holland America Line's 'Volendam' rescues 70 stranded sightseers in Glacier Bay, Alaska. While en route to Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay, Alaska, Holland America Line's Volendam rescued 70 persons from a disabled sightseeing boat, having responded to a distress call from the 79-foot sightseeing vessel Baranof Wind, which struck a rock near Russell Island in Glacier Bay disabling its steering and propulsion and causing the boat to take on water. The cruise ship lowered a tender…

The Coast Guard, National Park Service, and Good Samaritans assisted 76 people from a sightseeing vessel taking on water in Glacier Bay, Sunday. The Coast Guard, the National Park Service, and the Holland America cruise ship Volendam responded to a report from the 79-foot sightseeing vessel Baranof Wind after it reportedly struck a rock and started taking on water in Glacier Bay. The Coast Guard launched an Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew with a dewatering pump and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa to assist the Baranof Wind crew. The Volendam crew transferred 70 people from the Baranof Wind to their vessel, two people were taken aboard a National Park Service boat and four crewmembers remained aboard the Baranof Wind to maintain pumps and to ensure it stays afloat.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $9.98 million in grants to 15 small shipyards throughout the United States to pay for modernizations which will increase productivity and help the country’s small shipyards compete in the global marketplace. “In cities and towns across America, shipyards are creating jobs and keeping our nation's economy growing," said Secretary LaHood. The U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Small Shipyard Grants Program provides equipment and technical skills training for America’s maritime workforce…

Allen Marine, Inc. has announced the construction of the world's first aluminum floating dry dock. This fully self-contained, eco-friendly unit represents a major breakthrough in boat-lifting equipment. The aluminum floating dry dock is the brainchild of CEO David Allen. The dry dock is 140 feet long, with 42 feet of space between the 26-foot tall wing walls. It is capable of lifting vessels of up to 1000 tons, at 5 LT/feet of keel block loading. The Allen Marine floating dry dock is unique because it is constructed entirely of marine-grade aluminum (a high-caliber alloy).

The passenger vessel market is a classic mature marine market. Segments of it are doing well, while other parts have literally died. For example, the overnight segment of the market saw one substantial vessel delivered in 2003 with none on the horizon for 2004. The Empress of the North, a 360-ft. sternwheeler was put into service in September working the West Coast-Alaska route. Now that ice is a problem in Alaska, the vessel is working the Columbia River system in the Northwest U.S. The vessel was the largest vessel ever built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Freeland, Wash. and is owned by American West Steamboat Company, Portland, Ore. Developing overnight service is the most difficult part of the passenger vessel industry to get established.

Coast Guard crews were continuing to respond to the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry LeConte that struck rocks, grounded and began taking on water about 30 miles north of Sitka in Peril Strait near Cozian Reef. Coast Guard helicopter crews from Sitka, along with the Cutters Maple and Anacapa, are assisting along with a variety of Good Samaritans including tugboat crews and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessel John Cobb. The 86 passengers and non-essential crewmembers from the ferry have been safely transferred to two Allen Marine catamarans, the St. Eugene and the St.

Since planting its roots in 1925 as a small coal delivery business known as the Ohio River Company (ORCO), Midland Enterprises has evolved from one chartered boat and four barges to more than 85 boats and 2,400 barges moving the entire eastern inland waterways system. Established by Albert Converse Ingersoll, the Ohio River Company's main focus at that time was to float West Virginia coal to Cincinnati using its premiere boat — the E.D. Kenna. Built for its newest customer, Cincinnati Gas & Electric (the company's longest running business relationship), the vessel cost $179,325 in 1926. Subsequent to this successful venture, the company's demand continued to grow, causing a need for added capital. Ingersoll called upon C.E.

Allen Marine, Sitka, Alaska, is set to build a 78 ft. (23.7 m) aluminum catamaran ordered by Allen Marine Tours. Equipped with four Lugger diesel propulsion engines, each coupled to a Hamilton waterjet, the low wake vessel will be capable of speeds of more than 30 knots. The vessel, which will be used within Alaska's tourism industry will be the 11th 78 ft. (23.7 m) catamaran built for the company by Allen Marine. Allen is also constructing a fourth 78 ft. (23.7 m) catamaran for an East Coast company. Built to the custom specifications of ferry operator N.Y. Waterway, the first three boats were delivered this past February.

William N. “Norb” Whitlock and Kenneth A. Wheeler received the prestigious National Rivers Hall of Fame Achievement Award at the Waterways Council, Inc. Annual Meeting in Houston on October 1. This award is the highest honor presented by the National Rivers Hall of Fame to those people who are making significant contributions to America’s waterways. The National Rivers Hall of Fame with members in 36 states is the national museum telling the stories of the people of America’s rivers. The Hall of Fame is a part of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium located on the banks of the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Iowa. William “Norb”…

Coastwise Corporation recently completed a landing craft design for Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The vessel is a shallow water roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) passenger and vehicle ferry. This new 65 foot vessel has a beam of 21 feet, travels at eight knots, operates with a crew of two and can carry ten passengers. It was designed to carry full size road graders, loaders, and tanker trucks. The vessel’s aluminum ramp is designed to load these heavy vehicles from un-improved beaches. Designated as a day-boat the ro/ro landing craft will operate June to mid-September and be hauled out of the lake, prior to freeze up. Fully loaded the vessel draws just over three feet of water.

Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) has added two more projects to its portfolio, furthering its experience providing production support to landing craft vessels. The Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm delivered production support detail drawings for Kvichak Marine Industries' design of 10 MPF utility boats for the U.S. Navy. The 40-ft. high-speed landing craft are replacing the Navy's existing LCM-8 craft as part of its Improved Navy Lighterage System in support of the pre-positioned Marine Amphibious assault missions. Because of the large number of identical boats being constructed, EBDG tailored their work package to support an assembly line production approach.

In a unique double christening ceremony, Bayonne Mayor Joseph Doria and Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham smashed their champagne bottles at the same time on the newest NY Waterway ferries, The Bayonne and The Jersey City. The ferries are 149-passenger, 79-foot, bow-loading catamarans, one of 19 ferries custom-built by Allen Marine, Inc., of Sitka, Alaska, for NY Waterway. The Bayonne and The Jersey City have low-wake hulls and electronic ignition diesel engines, the cleanest-burning marine diesels presently available and meeting all existing emissions standards. “Two great leaders of two outstanding New Jersey cities, Bayonne Mayor Joseph Doria and Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham…

NY Waterway has ordered four new high-speed ferries from Allen Marine of Sitka, Alaska, and anticipates to have some of the new boats in service this year on new routes, including the East River, according to NY Waterway president Arthur Imperatore, Jr. Known as the Sea Otter class, each of the new ferries will carry 97 passengers at speeds of more than 30 knots, approximately 35 mph. The single hull boats house three water jet engines, as well as a bow-loading feature that (a NY Waterway ferry exclusive) allows safe, efficient passenger loading and unloading. The Otters are constructed to carry commuters from East 90th Street to Wall Street's Pier 11 in 15 minutes, or from Hunterspoint, Queens to Pier 11 in 12 minutes.

NY Waterway has contracted with Allen Marine, Inc., of Sitka, Alaska, for the purchase of three faster new ferry boats. Delivery is expected later this year. The 79-ft. catamarans will be custom-designed to combine the front passenger access feature necessary for quick loading and unloading on high-density commuter routes, with the additional speed provided by the dual hull. The vessels will have a 149-passenger capacity with a top speed of 27 knots. The boats are powered by four Caterpillar 3406E diesel engines, creating up to 700 hp each, and driving four Hamilton 362 water jets. There are two engines and two jets mounted in each hull.

NY Waterway has contracted with Allen Marine, Inc., of Sitka, Alaska, for the purchase of three faster new ferry boats. Delivery is expected later this year. The 79-ft. catamarans will be custom-designed to combine the front passenger access feature necessary for quick loading and unloading on high-density commuter routes, with the additional speed provided by the dual hull. The vessels will have a 149-passenger capacity with a top speed of 27 knots. The boats are powered by four Caterpillar 3406E diesel engines, creating up to 700 hp each, and driving four Hamilton 362 water jets. There are two engines and two jets mounted in each hull.

Seacraft Shipyard Corp., Amelia, La., recently delivered M/V Sea Holly, a 110 ft. live-aboard long range yacht, designed for extended excursions. The entire exterior of the vessel was faired and painted to a yacht-quality finish and the bottom of the vessel was coated with a high-performance anti-fouling paint. On the aft main deck are a flat bottom skiff and a vee bottom runabout, both of which are secured on removable boat cradles. The main deck cabin features a full service galley. Forward of the galley is the six-person settee and table complete with television. Located on the upper deck is a large pilothouse equipped with a modern electronic package…