Hines Furlong Line has added to its inland towboat capabilities with the new 6,600-hp triple-screw Scarlett Rose Furlong.
The 170-by-50-foot vessel was built by C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chasse, La., using a design from CT Marine of Portland, Maine. Scarlett Rose, named for the daughter of Hines Furlong Line founder Kent Furlong, entered service in late 2020.
“The majority of inland towboats 6,000 hp and above in the barge industry are 40 to 60 years old. We built the M/V Scarlett Rose Furlong to fill the need for newer, more efficient, high-horsepower towboats, particularly in the petrochemical trade,” Furlong said in an email.
It is the lead boat in a three-vessel series. The second boat, Bowling Green, is scheduled for delivery in late spring 2021. The third and final boat, Zephyr, is due out in late 2021.
Scarlett Rose Furlong primarily works between Paducah, Ky., on the Ohio River and Baton Rouge, La., on the Lower Mississippi River. Towboats of this size and horsepower typically can push dry cargo tows of 25 to 30 barges.
Propulsion on Scarlett Rose and its sister towboats comes from three 2,200-hp Tier 3 Cummins QSK60-M mains. The engines turn 100-inch five-blade Sound propellers in Harrington Marine-supplied Kort nozzles through Reintjes WAF 1173 H/V reduction gears. High-performing double steering rudders are installed aft of the nozzles.
The engines are cooled by Duramax grid coolers; Duramax also supplied the DryMax shaft seals, and Cooper and Thordon supplied the bearings. EMI Marine provided the steering system and engine alarms.
Towing equipment consists of six 65-ton Wintech electric winches and a single 12-ton Schoellhorn-Albrecht capstan. Solid and laminated fendering from Schuyler Cos. protects the vessel. Electrical power comes from three Cummins QSM11-DM engines paired with 275-kW Marathon generators.
The forward deckhouse on Scarlett Rose Furlong and the other two vessels in the series sits atop a bed of springs to reduce vibration and deaden sound within the crew spaces. The towboat has accommodations for 11 people in nine cabins with 7.5 bathrooms, as well as a lounge.
The vessel also has two laundry rooms and two dishwashers. Chief engineer Karl Morley, who oversees vessel construction for Hines Fulong, said those and other seemingly minor improvements throughout the vessel go a long way to enhance crew comfort while on board.
Roughly six months after delivery, Scarlett Rose Furlong is “performing superbly,” Furlong said, adding that the vessel has not returned to the shipyard for any service or repairs.
“These positive results,” he continued, “are a result of the combination of an excellent design by CT Marine, a professional shipyard in C&C Marine and Repair, and our desire as the owner to spare no expense as it related to the design, size, scope, materials and finishes for the vessel.”
Mo Chiasson
Steiner Shipyard built four 88-foot towboats for Florida Marine Transporters of Mandeville, La., that were designed by Sterling Marine.
The final boat in the series, Mo Chiasson, left the Bayou La Batre, Ala., shipyard in April. Its three sister tugs are Heath McWilliams, Capt. Keith Lofton and Chad Douglas.
The 2,520-hp Mo Chiasson is powered by two 1,260-hp Mitsubishi S12R Tier 3 engines from Laborde Products paired with Twin Disc MGX-5600 reduction gears and 82-inch Kahlenberg propellers. Two John Deere 99-kW generators provide ship service power.
R.W. Fernstrum built the keel coolers, and EMI supplied the alarm and steering systems. The fendering is from Schuyler Cos., and Hiller Companies provided the Novec 1230 fire suppression system in the engine room.
Heath McWilliams and Capt. Keith Lofton are similarly outfitted but with MTU engines, while Chad Douglas is essentially a true sister tug.
Florida Marine also took delivery of the 4,000-hp Amy Pasentine from Metal Shark Alabama, and as of press time was close to adding a third vessel in the series from the Bayou La Batre shipyard.
The Judge
Southern Towing Co. was an early adopter of z-drive propulsion on the inland waterways. Now, the Memphis, Tenn., company has put another one of these versatile towboats into service.
The 120-by-34-foot The Judge was built in Bayou La Batre, Ala., by Steiner Shipyard. Propulsion comes from two MTU main engines generating 1,600 hp paired with ZF/HRP Marine Model 6111 WM z-drives. Electrical power comes from two John Deere 6068AFM85 generators.
Rock Solid
Plimsoll Marine took delivery of the 67-foot Rock Solid from shipbuilder Master Marine in early 2021. Entech Designs provided plans for the pushboat.
Rock Solid is the third vessel in a four-boat series for Plimsoll Marine, a subsidiary of Mobile, Ala.-based Cooper/T. Smith.
“The delivery of Rock Solid marks another milestone in our effort to build and maintain our industry’s most modern and capable fleet of pushboats,” Angus R. Cooper III, president of Cooper/T. Smith, said in a prepared statement.
Propulsion on the new boat comes from twin 803-hp Mitsubishi Tier 3 main engines from Laborde Products, which turn 70-inch Sound propellers through Twin Disc 5321 reduction gears and 7-inch J&S Machine ABS-grade propeller shafts. The keel coolers are from R.W. Fernstrum.
The pushboat makes up to its tow through 40-ton Wintech deck winches, and Schuyler Cos. provided fendering that wraps the hull and push knees. New World supplied the suite of navigation electronics populating the wheelhouse, and heating and cooling comes from a Carrier mini-split HVAC system.
The two other towboats in the series, Grain Express and Iron Lady, were also built by Master Marine.
