Halter to Build 740 Ft. Self-Unloading Bulk Carrier

Halter Marine Group, Inc., Gulfport, Miss. has signed a contract with Great Lakes Marine Leasing, LLC, to build a 740 ft. self-unloading dry bulk cargo barge for service on the Great Lakes. The barge, which will be named Great Lakes Trader, will be operated by Van Enkevort Tug and Barge out of Escanaba, Mich. The barge will be built and launched in two halves at Halter's Gulf Coast Fabrication, Inc. in Pearlington, Miss. and towed to New Orleans where the two halves will be joined in Halter Gulf Repair's large floating drydock. Final outfitting will be completed at Halter Gulf Repair by the owner. At 740 ft. overall length with a 78 ft. beam and 45 ft. depth, it will be the largest vessel ever constructed by Halter. It will be the maximum size permitted through the St. Lawrence Seaway when delivered in the spring of 2000. It will have a deadweight capacity of 38,200 long tons at a maximum draft of 30 ft. in fresh water. Only 15 vessels on the Great Lakes have a larger capacity and Great Lakes Trader will be the first new construction addition of this type to the U. S. Great Lakes fleet of bulk carriers in 19 years according to Joseph P. Fischer of Bay Engineering, Inc. the vessel's designer. Great Lakes Trader will be used primarily to transport and discharge taconite pellets, limestone and coal. It will have a single, continuous hold/elevator conveyor belt and a 265 ft. boom conveyor that can discharge 6,000 long tons per hour. It will be paired with the 10,200 hp, twin screw tug, Joyce L. Vanenkevort, or a sister tug, as a dual mode, integrated tug/barge (ITB) with an articulated connection system developed by Bark River Towing Company, Inc. of Bark River, Mich. When coupled in the push mode, the combined units will be 844.8 ft. in length and displace 46,290 long tons. Great Lakes Trader will be classed Maltese Cross A1, Circle E for Great Lakes service by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and it will have an ABS Register of Cargo Gear. It will be fully inspected by the USCG according to 46 CFR, Subchapter I, Cargo and Miscellaneous Vessels. Both the tug and the barge were designed by Bay Engineering, Inc. naval architects and marine engineers of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. including concept design, contract plans and specifications, plus detail design for construction.