Metal Shark acquires Horizon Shipbuilding's assets
Metal Shark has acquired the assets of Horizon Shipbuilding, which filed for bankruptcy protection last year, and plans to use the new yard to build steel-hulled vessels.
The move marks a shift for Metal Shark, a Jeanerette, La.-based builder that has specialized in aluminum-hulled boats. The company also will pursue vessel repair work at the former Horizon yard in Bayou La Batre, Ala.
“As we add steel vessels to our already broad range of aluminum craft, we will offer everything from a 16-foot aluminum skiff to steel vessels up to 300 feet and virtually everything in between, making the diversity of Metal Shark’s portfolio truly unmatched in the industry,” Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard said in a prepared statement.
“Additionally, our Alabama yard’s complete refit and repair services will appeal to customers throughout the Gulf, and also those in the South Florida and Caribbean yachting community,” he said.
Horizon filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October. Court filings suggest cost overruns building vessels for the NYC Ferry project and a series of Tier 4 tugboats weighed on the company’s finances. Those overruns coincided with an industrywide slowdown in new vessel construction.
Horizon has continued operating during bankruptcy proceedings. Horizon CEO Travis Short will join Metal Shark as an executive vice president.
Metal Shark already operates yards in Jeanerette and Franklin, La., and the latter has capacity for aluminum vessels up to 200 feet long. Its “production campus” at Jeanerette builds almost 200 vessels a year for the military, law enforcement and fire departments.
“As we continue on this very calculated trajectory, we feel the conditions are perfect for the further growth and diversification of our portfolio,” Allard said.
Gulf Island building second research boat for Oregon State
Oregon State University has ordered a second research vessel from Gulf Island Fabrication, with construction taking place at its Houma, La., yard. Glosten Associates of Seattle is providing the design.
The contract modification follows an initial order in July 2017 for one 193-foot vessel with options for two more. The new research boats will have wet and dry labs and will be Green Marine and ABS Ice Class certified.
"We are very pleased that OSU has exercised their first option for the second RCRV (regional class research vessel)," said Kirk Meche, president and CEO of Gulf Island. "Our shipyard team and the OSU team have been working very closely since the first vessel contract award back in July of last year and we look forward to continuing these efforts with the second vessel."
The newbuilds will have diesel-electric propulsion with Tier 4 engines powering twin z-drives. Bow thrusters will assist with stationkeeping while conducting research. The vessels will be capable of 12 knots, with a minimum endurance of 21 days and berthing for 16 scientists and 12 crew.
Philly Shipyard cutting jobs after losing TOTE order
Philly Shipyard has announced additional layoffs due to TOTE Maritime’s suspension of a four-ship order.
The Philadelphia yard, owned by the Norwegian holding company Aker ASA, laid off about 250 employees earlier this year. The 275 new job cuts will reduce the work force to 675, according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The newspaper reported additional layoffs are likely as work winds down on two 3,600-TEU dual-fuel containerships under construction at the yard for Matson.
TOTE signed a letter of intent with Philly Shipyard last July calling for up to four new containerships to link the mainland U.S. with Hawaii. The first deliveries were expected in 2020.
The letter expired in January after TOTE determined that piers in Honolulu where the new ships would dock required extensive upgrades. Philly Shipyard said it is looking for new work to replace the lost orders.
New Tier 4 tugboat joins McAllister Towing's fleet
McAllister Towing has welcomed the Tier 4 tugboat Rosemary McAllister to its growing fleet of tractor tugs.
The 100-by-40-foot Rosemary is McAllister’s second Tier 4 tug and its 32nd tractor tug. The vessel designed by Jensen Maritime delivers 6,770 horsepower from twin Caterpillar 3526E engines paired with Schottel SRP400 FP z-drives. Bollard pull is 82.75 metric tons. Markey supplied the bow and stern winches.
McAllister has assigned the new tug to its Virginia operation. “She will make a huge difference in Hampton Roads," said Capt. J. Elliott Westall, McAllister’s vice president and general manager. "We have seen a major increase in the arrivals of ULCVs (ultra-large container vessels), and this tug with her power will be able to expertly handle the largest vessels in the market today.
“With her tethered escort abilities,” he added, “Rosemary will be a real game-changer.”
Rosemary, named for the wife of company Chairman Capt. Brian A. McAllister, is the second tug in a new class led by Capt. Brian A. McAllister. Horizon delivered that vessel last summer and began construction on Rosemary, which was completed by Eastern Shipbuilding of Panama City, Fla.
Eastern also will complete the final two vessels in the class, Ava McAllister and Capt. Jim McAllister. The FiFi-certified tugs are outfitted for ship docking, escort and rescue towing.
Army Corps commissions new survey boat
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently commissioned the 61-foot survey boat Ewell, which will serve the agency’s Norfolk, Va., district.
Aluma Marine & Fabrication of Harvey, La., built the aluminum-hulled catamaran and Technology Associates of New Orleans designed it. The boat draws just 40 inches.
Ewell can reach 32 knots thanks to twin MAN V8-1000 CR Tier 3 engines producing 985 hp. The mains are paired with ZF 500 reduction gears and HamiltonJet HJ 422 waterjets. Electrical power comes from two Kohler 20EKOZD 20-kW gensets.
Furuno navigation electronics populate the wheelhouse and Morgan Marine supplied the crane. The vessel also has a retractable multi-beam survey strut for collecting data.
C&C Marine delivers triple-screw z-drive towboat to Marquette
Marquette Transportation has taken delivery of its second triple-screw z-drive towboat from C&C Marine and Repair.
The Belle Chasse, La., yard completed the 6,600-hp Chris Reeves in May, three months after delivering the lead boat, Cindy L. Erickson. The third boat in the class is due in August, and an optional fourth boat could arrive around Christmas. CT Marine of Portland, Maine, designed the vessels.
Propulsion for the 160-by-50-foot towboats comes from three Cummins QSK60-M engines paired with Steerprop SP25D azimuthing thrusters. The superstructure in the new class is supported by a bed of springs for crew comfort. Each vessel has berthing for 13.
C&C Marine also built three triple-screw towboats for SCF Marine based on a design by The Shearer Group of Houston. All three vessels were delivered within eight months of each other in 2017.
