The following is the text of a news release from Conrad Shipyard:
(MORGAN CITY, La.) — Conrad Shipyard has been awarded a contract to build a crane barge for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The 300-by-68-foot welded steel barge is to be used in floating crane service by the Corps’ Rock Island District in support of its maintenance mission on the inland navigation system.
The barge is designed with a deckhouse and crew support area, generator room, shop area, office and heads. Below deck will enclose machinery spaces, storage areas and tankage. The vessel will be classified by ABS as Maltese Cross A1, Floating Crane-Intra-Coastal Waterways Service, and Reinforcement B with Crane Register Certificate. Conrad President and CEO Johnny Conrad made the award announcement.
"This project is right in our wheelhouse as we’ve been delivering quality vessels to the Army Corps of Engineers for more than 20 years," he said. "We value this longstanding relationship and appreciate the Army Corps’ continued confidence in the quality, craftsmanship, integrity and service that are the foundation of Conrad Shipyard.”
This is the third USACE award for Conrad in the last several weeks. On Sept. 8, the shipyard announced the award for two deck barges for the Corps Mobile District that will be used for lock maintenance and construction. The deck barges are to be built at Conrad’s 24-acre Orange, Texas shipyard.
The crane barge will be built at Conrad's Morgan City shipyard. The 11-acre facility bears both USCG and ABS certifications and is one of five Conrad shipyards located along the Louisiana-Texas Gulf Coast.
