Latest Seabulk Rotortugs add power and bollard pull Seabulk Towing welcomed the first Advanced Rotortug (ART) to American shores in 2017. Fast-forward five years: the company now operates four of the specialized triple-screw tugboats with a fifth on the way. The 98-foot Nike is the first of two ART 90-98US tugboats due from Master Boat Builders using a design…
Florida Marine Transporters welcomes new towboat series Eric Brumfield Florida Marine Transporters (FMT) of Mandeville, La., took delivery of five towboats in 2021, including Eric Brumfield, the lead vessel in a new class of 76-by-35-foot pushboats. Steiner Shipyard of Bayou La Batre, Ala., delivered the 2,000-hp Eric Brumfield in August 2021, followed four months later by the second tug…
J. Arnold Witte exits Lock 17’s guillotine gate on the Erie Canal. J. Arnold Witte preparing to depart Donjon’s shipyard in Erie, Pa The design features sturdy push knees and a retractable pilothouse. Engineer Joshua Riddick monitors one of three Mitsubishi engines. J. Arnold Witte has a 24-foot height of eye with its wheelhouse raised. The tug’s 26-foot beam accommodates…
Susan W. came to Gulfport after working on the Lower Mississippi River. Susan W. works Dole and Chiquita ships most weeks. Susan W. works Chiquita ship San Adriano. Deck hand Robert Shavers observes as trainee Tyler Schankin gets a line onto San Adriano. Susan W.s crew consists of (from left) Capt. Ken Skrmetta, deck hands Robert Shavers and Tyler Schankin,…