The following is text of a news release from Bouchard Transportation Co.:
(MELVILLE, N.Y.) — Bouchard Transportation Co. has taken delivery of the articulated tug-barge (ATB) unit M/V Evening Breeze and Barge No. 252 from VT Halter Marine Inc. and Bollinger Shipyards. M/V Evening Breeze left VT Halter Marine’s Pascagoula, Miss., Shipyard facility on March 12 and will meet and pair up with B. No. 252 before sailing to join Bouchard’s fleet service in New York.
Evening Breeze is 4,000 hp and meets EPA Tier 4 requirements, measuring 112 feet by 35 feet by 17 feet, and is equipped with an Intercon coupler system.
Constructed by Bollinger Shipyards,B. No. 252 is the sister vessel to B. No. 250, measuring 317.6 feet by 70 feet by 28 feet. B. No. 252 has a 55,000-barrel capacity, and will be used to transport clean petroleum products throughout the Jones Act market.
The delivery of M/V Evening Breeze and B. No. 252 represents Bouchard’s ongoing fleet expansion plan, as Bouchard continues to seek ways to invest profits into new and more advanced equipment. These Jones Act vessels include the newest modifications to the Intercon and pin system, as well as the most technologically advanced equipment in various spaces that are designed to reduce total emissions, thus ensuring a more eco-friendly fleet. Evening Breeze is the first tug in Bouchard’s fleet with Tier 4 engines.
