Shipbuilding News, April 2014

Bollinger delivers ninth Fast Response Cutter to U.S. Coast Guard

Bollinger Shipyards Inc. announced the delivery of the USCGC Kathleen Moore to the Seventh Coast Guard District in Key West, Fla., on March 28.

The 154-foot patrol craft Kathleen Moore is the ninth vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter (FRC) program. The new cutter has a top speed of 28 knots, a state-of-the-art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26-foot cutter boat.

This vessel is named for Coast Guard Lighthouse Keeper Kathleen Moore. Kathleen Moore stood her first watch at the age of 12 when her father became lighthouse keeper in 1817. As her father’s health declined, she took over his duties, but was not officially appointed as head keeper until 1871. She served the station for 72 years and is credited for saving 21 lives.

USCGC Kathleen Moore will be commissioned in Key West in May.

 

Metal Trades delivers crane barge to Stevens Towing

Metal Trades Inc. of Yonges Island, S.C., delivered Ocean Ranger, a 200-foot by 72-foot by 14-foot ABS-classed floating crane barge to Stevens Towing, also based on Yonges Island, in late March.

The new barges will be operated as Charleston Heavy Lift and will serve the Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., area.

Ocean Ranger was designed by The Shearer Group Inc., of Seabrook, Texas, and built by Metal Trades. Engineering for the crane boom and associated equipment was provided by TEEARC Engineering of Henderson, Nev.

The barge is certified at 500 short tons lifting and capable of being certified at 700 short tons lifting, and allowable deck loading is 3,200 pounds per square foot. The boom was originally built by Manitowoc and installed on the ocean service crane barge Cherokee. It was refurbished and installed on Ocean Ranger by Stevens Towing. Ocean Ranger is equipped with a ballasting system to allow minimum trim when making lifts. The mooring winch is a diesel-driven Clyde Frame 8. The hoist winches are Skagit Model RB-90.
 

Virginia leads nation in shipbuilding jobs

The American Maritime Partnership joined with the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), to highlight new data showing that Virginia ranks first among all U.S. states in shipbuilding with 63,650 jobs, far and above any other state. These jobs pump more than $5.5 billion into Virginia’s economy every year.

The U.S. shipyard industrial base in Virginia and across the nation is vital to America’s national and economic security. Private U.S. shipyards build, repair, maintain and modernize the largest and most sophisticated Navy and Coast Guard vessels in the world and do the same for the nation’s 40,000 commercial vessels. Across the country, the domestic maritime industry, supported by the Jones Act, sustains more than 478,000 jobs and has an annual economic impact of $92.5 billion, according to a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers for the Transportation Institute. The industry accounts for approximately $29 billion in annual wages and $10 billion in tax revenue each year.

“It is no surprise that Virginia leads the nation in U.S. Shipbuilding, because one in every 90 jobs in the state is directly related to the industry.” said SCA president Matt Paxton. “Each of those jobs in turn supports nearly three other jobs. This robust shipyard workforce and industrial base, as well as the national security and economic benefits that this industry provides, are just a few of the reasons why the president, the Navy and every Congress and Administration in modern history has supported the Jones Act,” Paxton said.

 

GTT receives preliminary ABS approval for LNG barge design

Houston-based GTT North America, U.S. subsidiary of French engineering and technology company Gaztransport & Technigaz SA (GTT), has received approval in principle from ABS for the design of a 2,200-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge. The design incorporates a membrane Cargo Containment System (CCS), which is utilized in 70 percent of the global LNG carrier fleet and nearly 90 percent of LNG carrier projects on order.

GTT developed the membrane LNG bunker barge to demonstrate the efficient storage of LNG and safe, reliable management of Boil-Off Gas (BOG) in an unmanned push barge application. The barge is being designed for use in bunkering operations including ship-to-ship LNG transfers or LNG bulk transport in U.S. inland waterways, harbors and intra-coastal service. The barge could operate as a mobile refueling resource or be moored temporarily to serve as a refueling station.

The GTT membrane LNG bunker barge will be capable of loading about 570,000 gallons of LNG within 4.5 hours and towed at maximum speed of 8 knots. Overall dimensions are 212 feet by 48 feet by 16 feet. The gross tonnage is approximately 1,440 gt.

 “This barge design, now approved in principle by ABS, provides a robust solution for boil off gas management, an essential requirement for any atmospheric LNG storage system. The design is a major step forward in bringing the coldest cargo with the highest stored energy value to the US LNG fuel market in a safe manner,” said Allyn Risley, chairman of GTT North America.

Alameda, Calif.-based Herbert Engineering Corp. was commissioned to develop the hull and preliminary machinery design scope and Houston-based CH-IV International to develop the cargo handling system (CHS) design scope.  ABS Consulting assisted in the development of the GTT membrane LNG bunker barge project.

 

Rodriguez delivers shallow-draft tug to Garber Bros.

Rodriquez Shipbuilding of Bayou LaBatre, La., delivered a 75-foot by 28-foot tug to Morgan City-based Garber Bros. Inc. and Sea Cypress LLC in late March. The shallow-draft tug, Sea Cypress,  has a triple-screw configuration and depending on load can operate in as little as eight feet of water.

The tug has a total of about 2,000 hp generated by three 660-hp six-cylinder Cummins QSK19 marine engines each turning a propeller through Twin Disc MGX5222 gears with 6:1 ratios. Sea Cyprus is set up for both towing and pushing. The tug is fitted with SMATCO deck equipment including a waterfall type winch for anchor handling or towing. The stern deck winch allows the versatile tug to make up to barges for pushing by way of bridles running through stern deck rollers and side deck rollers.

Capacities include accommodation for six crew, 37,000 gallons of fuel, 6,700 gallons of water and 300 gallons of lube oil. Auxiliary power needs will be met with a pair of 45-kW gensets.

By Professional Mariner Staff