(HARVEY, La.) — The towboat Kelley Reid, built at Eymard Marine Construction & Repair for Hines Furlong Line, is the latest vessel to come out of an 11-boat construction program underway at the yard’s Harvey, La., facility.
The 2,400-horsepower vessel measuring 78 feet by 34 feet by 10 feet is configured with a triple-screw propulsion system powered by three Mitsubishi S6R2 Tier 3 engines, each rated at 803 horsepower at 1,400 rpm. The build also includes two Laborde-supplied generator sets, each rated at 65 kW, supporting onboard electrical systems.
Kelley Reid joins a growing series of vessels already completed under the program, including Donny Mudgett, Sun Valley, Oxford, Sawtooth, and Bob Nienhuis. Each vessel is built to a shared specification across propulsion and auxiliary systems, carrying a consistent platform across the fleet as additional boats move through construction.
For Hines Furlong Line, the large scale of the program requires a disciplined approach to how each vessel is configured and supported over time. Standardizing core systems across multiple builds allows the company to manage performance, maintenance, and crew familiarity across the fleet.
“When you’re building at this volume, you don’t want variation from one boat to the next,” said Karl Morley, senior engineer of new construction and leased vessels at Hines Furlong Line. “We’re putting the same foundation under each vessel so we know exactly how it’s going to run, how it’s going to be maintained, and what to expect across the board.”
Laborde Products supplied both the main engines and generator sets and worked with Eymard Marine Construction & Repair and Hines Furlong Line throughout the build. The propulsion and power package is carried across the series, aligning with the broader approach taken across the program.
“This kind of program only works if everything lines up from boat to boat,” said Bradley Matte, sales representative at Laborde Products. “The engines and generator sets were selected to stay consistent across the series and match how these vessels are expected to operate.”
– Laborde Products
