Bollinger Algiers News

U.S. shipbuilding and repair company Bollinger Shipyards said it has taken delivery of a new drydock at its Bollinger Algiers facility. The new drydock Mrs. Jody adds 4,000 tons total lifting capacity to the New Orleans shipyard. “This drydock will position us well in the diverse customer markets that we serve, and will further enhance our position in the market with lifting capacity needed by our customers,” said Bollinger CEO and president, Ben Bordelon. The Mrs. Jody drydock measures 198-ft. x 76-ft. between the wing walls and has lifting capacity of 4,000 tons.

Lockport, La. - Bollinger Amelia Repair L.L.C, and Bollinger Algiers L.L.C., two Bollinger Shipyards Inc. facilities, have re-delivered the tank barge B. No. 230 and tug Ralph E. Bouchard to Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc. in Melville, N.Y. “We are pleased to announce the re-delivery of the ATB unit to Bouchard following a successful conversion, and regulatory updates at our two repair facilities,” said Bordelon. “Bouchard’s confidence in our ability to deliver quality workmanship from multiple facilities allowed us to complete the two projects simultaneously. The B. No.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. has received awards for Excellence in Safety, Improvements in Safety, and Occupational Safety awards from two industry groups. The Award for Excellence in Safety and the Award for Improvement in Safety for 2009 were presented to Bollinger by the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA). The awards were received during the association’s April 26-28, 2010 general membership meeting held in Washington, D.C. The Award for Excellence in Safety is given to member companies who have an end-of-year Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) that is below the average SCA rate.

Bollinger Algiers, L.L.C., and Bollinger Amelia Repair, L.L.C., two Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. companies, have redelivered the double hull asphalt Barge B. No. 235, a 133,000 barrel (BBL) Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA’90) compliant tank barge and accompanying tug, J. George Betz, a 6140 horsepower oceangoing tug, back into service for Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc., Melville, NY as an Articulated Tug/Barge (ATB) unit. In an effort to continue upgrading their fleet, Bouchard contracted with Bollinger Shipyards to upgrade both the tank barge B. No. 235 and the oceangoing Tug J.

Bollinger Shipyards returns 95 percent of its 14 locations back to work following Hurricane Gustav's plowing through the heart of the based shipyard community. According to Bollinger’s website, all but two locations are back up and running, with several locations on generators with supervisory staff only. The corporate office, located in , is on generators and is coordinating the efforts of the 3000 member workforce. Bollinger is working with the local and state authorities to insure the safe return of their employees and shipyard services to the Oil and Gas community, said Robert Socha, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing. We are communicating with our employees over the web, via local radio, telephone and community interaction.

Bollinger delivers the ATB unit, B. No. 282 and tug Ellen S. Bouchard, the second of two 80,000 BBL OPA’90 tank barges and retrofitted tug to Bouchard. Bollinger Gretna, LLC, Harvey, La., and Bollinger Algiers, L.L.C, two Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., facilities, have completed the new construction of the second of two 80,000 barrel (BBL) OPA’90 compliant tank barges, as well as the retrofit and conversion of a Bouchard tug, respectfully, to Bouchard Coastwise Management Corp., Melville, N.Y. The 80,000 BBL tank barge, B. No. 282, is a manned ocean, clean oil barge measuring 399-ft.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., has completed a major conversion of the Crescent Towing tug, NED FERRY that transformed the boat from a single engine vessel with 3500 HP, to a twin-engine vessel with 4,000 HP. It is the third of eight Crescent Towing 105-foot sister ships to undergo the same upgrades and modifications at Bollinger Algiers LLC, the New Orleans based repair and conversion shipyard facility. Her old engine was replaced with two Caterpillar 3512B engines coupled to Reintjes WAF673 reduction gears driving 83-inch Bollinger stainless steel propellers. They were installed in 84-inch type 37 kort nozzles with stainless steel inner rings and leading and trailing edges.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., has completed a major conversion of the Crescent Towing tug, Ned Ferry that transformed the boat from a single engine vessel with 3,500 hp, to a twin-engine vessel with 4,000 hp. It is the third of eight Crescent Towing 105-ft. (32 m) sister ships to undergo the same upgrades and modifications at Bollinger Algiers LLC, the New Orleans based repair and conversion shipyard facility. Ned Ferry's old engine was replaced with a pair of Caterpillar 3512B engines coupled to Reintjes WAF673 reduction gears driving 83-in. Bollinger stainless steel propellers. They were installed in 84-in. type 37 kort nozzles with stainless steel inner rings and leading and trailing edges.

Bollinger's Algiers repair and conversion yard has recently embarked on a major conversion project that will convert eight 105-ft. single screw tugs to 4,000 hp twin screw boats. The conversion project is being carried out for Crescent Towing. When completed, each of the 3,500 hp tugs will be re-powered with two Caterpillar 3512B engines coupled to Reintjes WAF 673 reduction gears driving 83-in. Bollinger stainless steel propellers. They will be installed in 84-in. type 37 kort nozzles with stainless steel inner rings and leading and trailing edges. The boats will also have a 45-degree rudder angle for better maneuverability and their new 4,500 hp power packages are designed to generate 100,000 pounds or 50 tons of bollard pull.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., has completed the conversion of the Crescent Towing tug, FLORIDA, from a single engine to a twin-engine boat with 4,000 HP. It is the first of eight Crescent Towing 105-foot sister ships to undergo the same major conversion at Bollinger’s Algiers (New Orleans) repair and conversion shipyard. The FLORIDA’s old engine was replaced with two Caterpillar 3512B engines coupled to Reintjes WAF 673 reduction gears driving 83-inch Bollinger stainless steel propellers. They were installed in 84-inch type 37 kort nozzles with stainless steel inner rings and leading and trailing edges. It has a 45° rudder angle for better maneuverability and its new power package is designed to generate 100,000 pounds or 50 tons of bollard pull.

The Crescent Towing tug Florida undergoes sea trials on the Mississippi River at New Orleans following repowering from single screw to double screw and the replacement of her pilothouse with new equipment and greater visibility provided by new lower exhaust stacks. Florida is the first of eight Crescent tugs to receive the conversion at Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Algiers (New Orleans) shipyard. Bollinger Shipyards recently completed the conversion of the Crescent Towing tug, Florida, from a single engine to a twin-engine boat with 4,000-hp. It is the first of eight Crescent Towing 105-ft. sister ships to undergo the same major conversion at Bollinger's Algiers (New Orleans) repair and conversion shipyard.

Lockport, La.-based Bollinger Shipyards Inc. reported two of its shipyards in New Orleans completed the retrofit and conversion of barge and tug to an articulated tug and barge unit utilizing the Intercon Coupler System. Bouchard Coastwise Management Co owns the barge and tug. Bollinger officials say the unique conversion work shows the shipyard’s flexibility to meet customer needs. “This double hulling of the Bouchard B. No. 295 and the re-fit of the tug Bouchard Girls using two separate Bollinger facilities exemplifies Bollinger’s unique ability to work with the needs of our customers to complete the job,” said Ben Bordelon, Bollinger’s executive vice president of repair.

Pictured is Bouchard’s B. No. 295 and Bouchard Girls, converted and retrofitted by Bollinger Gulf Repair and Bollinger Algiers, as an OPA’90 compliant ATB unit. Bollinger Gulf Repair, L.L.C. and Bollinger Algiers, L.L.C, two Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., shipyards, have completed the retrofit and conversion of a Bouchard Coastwise Management Co., barge and tug, respectfully, to an articulated tug and barge (ATB) unit utilizing the Intercon Coupler System. At Bollinger Gulf Repair, the 446-foot, black oil Barge B. No.195 which has been renamed Barge B. No.295, was transformed from a single hull to double hull vessel to meet the requirements of OPA'90. The B. No. 295 measures 468-foot x 85.5-foot x 38.1-foot, with sixteen (16) cargo tanks.

The Bollinger built 35,000 BBL tank barge B. No 231 sails past the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge entering New York Harbor as the latest addition to the growing OPA’90 compliant fleet of Bouchard TransportationBollinger Marine Fabricators, L.L.C., Amelia, La., a Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. company, has delivered B. No. 231, the first of two double hull, 35,000 barrel (BBL) oil tank barge units built to meet the requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA’90), to Bouchard Ocean Services, Melville, N.Y. The B. No. 231 is a manned, clean oil, oceans tank barge measuring 300-ft. long, with a 64-ft. beam and a depth of 21-feet. The barge has ten cargo tanks, with Byron Jackson cargo pumps, driven by John Deere engines.

The Bollinger built 35,000 BBL tank barge B. Bollinger Marine Fabricators, L.L.C. delivered B. No. 231, the first of two double hull, 35,000 barrel (BBL) oil tank barge units built to meet OPA’90 requirements to Bouchard Coastwise Management. Morton S. Bouchard III, president and CEO of Bouchard Affiliates, said “The delivery of the B. No. 231 is another step forward for Bouchard, and our commitment to our customers to provide the highest quality equipment that meets their changing needs. The B. No. 231 is a manned, clean oil, oceans tank barge measuring 300-ft. long, with a 64-ft. beam and a depth of 21-ft.. The barge has ten cargo tanks, with Byron Jackson cargo pumps, driven by John Deere engines.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., has performed conversions and modifications to three separate dive support vessels for EPIC Divers & Marine. The first of the three conversions was completed on the 220-ft. x 45-ft x 21-ft dynamically positioned (DP) Class II Dive and ROV support vessel EPIC Diver at the Bollinger Algiers location. The EPIC Diver is one of the newest acquisitions to the EPIC fleet and will be their primary DP and ROV support vessel. While at Bollinger the vessel renewed her regulatory status and documentation, received DP system upgrades with the installation of the L3 Communications (Nautronix) NMS 6000 Duplex DP System, while taking on the new colors and name EPIC Diver. The vessel is ABS Certified, DPII, and SOLAS.

Following the delivery of Bouchard’s B. No. 280 from Bollinger Gretna and the delivery of the tug Rhea Bouchard from Bollinger Algiers, the ATB set sail for Texas and its first load of cargo bound for the U.S. West Coast. A Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. company, has delivered, B. No. 280, a double hull, 80,000 BBL oil tank barge built to meet the requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA’90), to Bouchard Coastwise Management, Corp., Hicksville, N.Y. Following the delivery of the B. No. 280, Bollinger announced the signing of the sister ship, B. No. 282. The B. No. 282 will also be built at Bollinger Gretna, along with the previously announced 110,000 BBL, B. No. 205, a black oil barge measuring 430-feet long, with a 79-foot beam and a depth of 34-feet.

Construction of Articulated Tug Barge units (ATB) continues to occupy a prominent place in the order books of several shipyards. However the pace of current building and back ordered units is not as high as the 2000-2002 period. "It looks like we are in for a little 'breather' for a while," said Allen Craft, senior vice president of Intercontinental Engineering-Manufacturing Corporation, Kansas City, Mo. The company manufactures Intercon, one of the most popular couplers between the tug and the barge, which makes the ATB concept workable. "Vessel Management Services, a division of Crowley Maritime was a major driving force in this market when they had two different yards each built two ATBs with 9,280 hp tugs and 155,000 barrel barges using our couplers," Craft said.

Bollinger’s Algiers repair and conversion yard has recently embarked on a major conversion project that will convert eight 105-ft. single screw tugs to 4,000 hp twin screw boats. The conversion project is being carried out for Crescent Towing. When completed, each of the 3,500 hp tugs will be re-powered with two Caterpillar 3512B engines coupled to Reintjes WAF 673 reduction gears driving 83-in. Bollinger stainless steel propellers. They will be installed in 84-in. type 37 kort nozzles with stainless steel inner rings and leading and trailing edges. The boats will also have a 45-degree rudder angle for better maneuverability and their new 4,500 hp power packages are designed to generate 100,000 pounds or 50 tons of bollard pull.

Bollinger Shipyards reports that it has been successful in re-opening Bollinger Quick Repair in Harvey, Bollinger Gretna, and Bollinger Algiers on the river. Ancillary services at each of these yards, such as the Electrical Shop, Machine Shops and Propeller Shop are also back in operation. These locations have restored power and services, and our employees are returning to work, building its workforce on a daily basis. Today (September 15, 2005) 33 of the company’s 40 dry-docks are in service. As a service to its customers, the company has started a Customer Hotline to assist its customers with questions and needs for services. In the event that they cannot get through, customers can call the hotline at telephone 985-532-7297.