Elliot Bay Design Group News

Tacoma, Wash.-based Silverback Marine is a relatively new name in boatbuilding, formed with the tall ambition to “change the way the world thinks about workboats”.“We started Silverback with the vision of essentially bringing, what I would call, the big boat experience to smaller workboats. Enabling people to get a smaller workboat, but also have a real naval architect and engineer go through it—give them renderings, give them that tailored experience that you would normally only find if you’re getting a much larger vessel…

The City of New York Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Staten Island Ferry Division and Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) cut steel to officially begin the construction of the first of three new 320’ Staten Island Ollis Class Ferries. The steel cutting ceremony held August 29, 2017 took place in Eastern’s steel processing and pre-fabrication building at its Allanton facility in Panama City, Fla. Attending the ceremony from Staten Island Ferry Division was John Collins, Director of Ferry Engineering and Bill Tomalonis, Vessel Construction Manager SIF Division.

Rapp’s workboat market offerings span the full range of operator requirements. Their latest contract provides a turnkey package. Long known for delivering innovative and custom deck machinery solutions to a wide range of marine stakeholders, Rapp Marine recently was tasked with providing not one, but two complete equipment package for West coast-based Harley Marine Services (HMS). The Rapp portfolio spans the full gamut of machinery, from heavy duty tow winches for high horsepower tugboats, all the way to multipurpose cranes for barges or other workboats.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) has received Notice to Proceed (NPT) from The City of New York Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) for the detail design and construction of three new Staten Island-Ollis Class Ferries for the Staten Island Ferry Division. Eastern is extremely honored to be the winning shipyard that will construct and deliver three new Staten Island Ollis Class Ferries to NYCDOT and the Staten Island Ferry Division. The three Ollis Class double-ended 4500 passenger ferries, are from a design provided by Elliot Bay Design Group, with each ferry featuring four Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) 12-710 Tier 4 compliant propulsion…

Domestic ferries adjust their business models to met regulatory pressures and exceed environmental standards with an eye towards improved service. And, not a minute too soon. In North America, stalwarts in the ferry business continue to shorten journey times compared to surface alternatives, while at the same time, bring accessibility to barrier and coastal islands that would otherwise be impossible to reach. Established stakeholders continually fine-tune their operations in a…

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. has launched the Impala Mompox (Hull #245) on October 24, 2016. This is the third in a series of four Inland River Towboats for IWL River, Inc. This series of CT Marine designed 134 ft. ABS Classed Inland River Service towboats are Triple Screw with a Retractable Pilothouse and all are currently under construction at Eastern’s Allanton facility. The vessel deliveries are scheduled to start in late 2016 and continue into 2017. The launch was hosted by Eastern's Project Manager Joe Stark.

Vigor’s Seattle shipyard recently delivered a 95’ x 38’ x 16’, 3,000 hp ATB Twin Screw Tug, Dale R Lindsey, to Harley Marine Services Inc. Designed by Elliot Bay Design Group for primary operation in Alaska, the ATB tug utilizes an Articouple FRM-43M coupler system to pair with the 20,000 barrel oil barge, Petro Mariner. It features a raised aluminum pilothouse for optimal visibility built by Kvichak. Dale R Lindsey is the 11th vessel built by Vigor for its long-time customer, Harley Marine.

Willard Marine, Inc. has appointed Mark Lougheed to its engineering team. Lougheed brings more than 25 years of experience in naval engineering and project management to Willard Marine. Lougheed was most recently at Coast Dynamics Group as an Engineering Project Leader developing technology for SHOXS Seats. He was also the Senior Research and Development Engineer at Zodiac Hurricane Technologies, a division of Zodiac MilPro in Canada, where he managed the development of a line of composite and metal stepped hull planing boats.

Ferries for Alaska’s harsh conditions, built in Alaska by Alaskans. Vigor and Elliott Bay Design Group team up for a winning combination as the new Alaska Class Ferry Project takes shape. With its network of islands and fjords, rugged mountains and spectacular tidewater glaciers, Alaska’s Inside Passage may make a perfect summer cruise destination, but locals can’t choose when they travel. So when Alaskans need transport, the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) must find a way to move them.

Announced by Governor Sean Parnell Saturday, September 20, the State of Alaska and Vigor Industrial have reached a final agreement to construct two Alaska Class Ferries at Vigor Alaska in Ketchikan. The vessels will be the first Alaska Marine Highway System ferries to be built in Alaska. “Here we are today to launch this shipyard to a new level, a new level of good jobs, a new level of growth for Ketchikan businesses that are going to supply the shipyard and its workers,” Governor…

Nicholas Brothers Boat Builders has been awarded a new vessel contract to build a 115’x47.5’ 23-Car, 100 passenger ferry for Wahkiakum County. The ferry will operate between existing ferry terminals to Puget Island in Cathlamet, Washington and Westport, Oregon. Designed by Elliot Bay Design Group of Seattle, Wash., the steel hull, aluminum superstructure vessel will be powered by two diesel Cummins QLS 9, 285 hp at 1,800 rpm coupled to ZF Marine reversing reduction gears with two fixed-pitched propellers, and designed to operate at eight knots.

The Executive Control Board of the National Shipbuilding Research Program Advanced Shipbuilding Enterprise (NSRP ASE) selected seven new research projects as part of the Navy/Industry co-funded portfolio. The seven new projects, valued at approximately $20 million including industry cost share, were in response to the latest NSRP ASE solicitation released in February and continue the successful implementation of the Program’s Strategic Investment Plan. Common Parts Catalog (CPC) Implementation: This project will provide full scale testing…

Elliot Bay Design Group (EBDG) recently completed a contract design, including an extensive model basin testing program, for an articulated tug and barge (ATB) for Sause Bros., Ocean Towing of Coos Bay, Ore. ATB has been designed specifically for oceangoing service in the North pacific petroleum product trade. The unit also incorporates many features requested by Sause Bros. Elliot Bay's design calls for 135.5 ft.(41.3 m) tug combined with a 543.7 ft. (165.7 m) barge, connected by an Intercon coupler. The coupler provides a secure attachment between the tug and the barge, while allowing free motion about the pitch axis. Both the tug and the barge are designed to meet SOLAS requirements, and will be classed by the American Bureau of Shipping.

Offshore supply vessels, passenger vessels, yachts. How much power is required and how will they ride in seas? These are the questions Gerry Stensgaard, P.Eng, and the staff at the Ocean Engineering Centre (OEC) of Vizon Scitec (formerly BC Research) usually answer. But over the years naval architects and others have asked for answers to some unusual questions. "They are open minded about special testing," says Tim Nolan, P.E., Naval Architect at Tim Nolan Marine Design, PC. Special testing might mean a peculiar test of a typical craft. Or it might be basic resistance and seakeeping tests for an unusual craft; which might seem easy, but the test setup can become difficult. Located in Vancouver, Canada, the OEC consists of a 220 by 12 ft.

American Commercial Lines Inc. (NASDAQ: ACLI) announced that it has closed the previously announced agreement to acquire the assets of Elliott Bay Design Group, Ltd. (“EBDG”) a naval architecture and marine engineering firm. EBDG is located in Seattle, Washington, and has recently opened a second office in New Orleans, Louisiana. The new company, Elliott Bay Design Group LLC, will continue to provide naval architecture, marine engineering and production support to its many customers in the commercial marine industry, while also providing ACL with expertise in support of its transportation and Jeffboat shipyard businesses.

Bollinger Marine Fabricators, L.L.C., (BMF) Amelia, La., a Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. company, has delivered to Progressive Barge Line, Inc., Westwego, La., its first new leading edge double hull OPA’90 Lakes, Bays and Sounds tank barge. Barge PBL 3002 measures 297.6-feet in length, 54.0-foot beam and 13.0-foot depth, with a rated capacity of 28,300 barrels (BBL). Elliot Bay Design Group performed the design and engineering package in support of Bollinger. PBL 3002 departed the Bollinger Amelia facility on October 31st and towed directly to the Progressive Westwego terminal to commence bunkering services on the Mississippi River, throughout the port of New Orleans and the Intracoastal Canal Waterway.

Marcon International, Inc. has announced that Ketchikan Pulp Company has sold its double skin OPA’90 ocean tank/railcar barge Harry A. Merlo to Cenac Towing Co. of Houma, La. The 9,000 dwt, ABS-classed barge was built in 1994 by Gulf Coast Fabricators at a cost of about $8.4 million to supply fuel oil, chemicals and other materials for pulp processing and lumber mill operations in southeastern Alaska. The 402-ft. barge was designed by Elliot Bay Design Group of Seattle, Wash. Black oil, diesel and caustic soda were carried north in the integral cargo tanks, and smaller parcels of chemicals and stocks were hauled in tank and hopper cars loaded on deck. On the southbound run, box cars were loaded with pulp.

Built to a design by Seattle-based Elliot Bay Design Group, the Chilean pocket cruise ship "Mare Australis" made her maiden voyage this past November. With a crew of 44 catering to the needs of only 127 passengers, this is a unique alternative to the usual mass cruise ship industry. Even the cruise route is unique with the ship offering expeditionary cruises to the Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia through the Tierra del Fuego with terminus at Punto Arenas in Chile and Ushuaia in Argentina. The cruise includes visits to a number of glaciers and passes through parts of the Strait of Magellan and Beagle Channel. Constructed at the yard of ASENAV (Astilleros y Servicios Navalas S.A.) the ship is 70.1 by 13.4-m with a depth to the first deck of 4.26 m.

Halter Marine, Inc. has begun construction of three second generation Ship Docking Modules (SDM) at its Lockport, La. shipyard for Hvide Marine, Inc. The new tugs, designated SDM Mark II, follow the three original Halter-built SDMs, New River, St. Johns and Escambia. Two of the new vessels, Suwanee River and Peace River, are scheduled for delivery in 1999, and Kissimmee River, the third Mark II, will be delivered in 2000. The patented, double-ended 90 x 50 ft. SDM design, which requires only two crew members to operate, was conceived by Erik Hvide, chairman and president of Hvide Marine and refined by the Elliot Bay Design Group, Seattle, Wash. The design is critical to maneuvering large ships in and out of narrow ports and harbors.

Halter Marine, Inc. has begun construction of three second generation Ship Docking Modules (SDM) at its Lockport, La. shipyard for Hvide Marine, Inc. The new tugs, designated SDM Mark II, follow the three original Halter-built SDMs, New River, St. Johns and Escambia. Two of the new vessels, Suwanee River and Peace River, are scheduled for delivery in 1999, and Kissimmee River, the third Mark II, will be delivered in 2000. The patented, double-ended 90 x 50 ft. SDM design, which requires only two crew members to operate, was conceived by Erik Hvide, chairman and president of Hvide Marine and refined by the Elliot Bay Design Group, Seattle, Wash. The design is critical to maneuvering large ships in and out of narrow ports and harbors.