The following is the text of a news release from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding:
(STURGEON BAY, Wis.) — Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) has delivered Kirby 155-01, a 155,000-barrel capacity barge, and M/V Heath Wood, a 6,000-hp tug for Kirby Corp. The vessels are to be operated as an articulated tug-barge unit and will haul petroleum and chemical products domestically. This is the first unit delivered under a 2014 contract for two identical ATB units. The second ATB unit is scheduled for delivery in the summer of 2017.
Kirby Corp., based in Houston, Texas, is the nation’s largest tank barge operator, transporting bulk liquid products throughout the Mississippi River System, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, along all three Unites States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii. Kirby now operates several ATB units built by FBS in the mid-2000s.
Todd Thayse, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding vice president and general manager, commented on the significance of the delivery. “The fact that this ATB was delivered on time and within contracted costs speaks to the efficiency of our engineering, planning and manufacturing processes,” he said. “On-time, on-budget delivery is critical to our customers, and, along with consistently high-quality build, it is the basis for retaining and reinforcing long-term relationships.”
Francesco Valente, president and CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group, commented that “the recent expansion of the FBS yard will allow continued support to our established customers along with the opportunity to grow into new markets. The expansion provides additional manufacturing facilities and state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, that combined with our advanced manufacturing processes, will further enhance our competitive position.”
Fincantieri Marine Group is the United States division of global shipbuilding giant Fincantieri, which employs nearly 20,000 shipbuilding professionals in 20 yards on four continents. Fincantieri has a 234-year history of building more than 7,000 ships.
