C&C Marine delivers powerful cutterhead suction dredge
Callan Marine has taken delivery of the 290-foot General MacArthur, a 24,000-hp cutterhead suction dredge from C&C Marine and Repair of Belle Chasse, La.
Downey Engineering of Metairie, La., designed the vessel, which has 24,000 total installed horsepower, a digging depth of 97 feet, and a pipe discharge diameter of 32 inches, according to C&C Marine. It has three MAK diesel-electric engines along with two Caterpillar diesel generators. SPI/Mobile Pulley Works supplied the dredging equipment.
General MacArthur has beds for 33 people, along with a galley, gym, lounge-TV room, laundry facilities, offices and a conference room. All staterooms also have private bathrooms.
The vessel left C&C Marine in mid-May for work in Texas that includes deepening and widening at the Port of Corpus Christi.
Dakota Creek launches first tug in new Navy series
The first new tugboat under construction at Dakota Creek Industries for the U.S. Navy is in the water.
The Anacortes, Wash., shipyard launched the lead boat in the 90-by-38-foot YT 808 class on May 16. Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia, designed the new series. The vessels have Tier 4 engines and an estimated bollard pull of 40 metric tons. Projected speed is just under 12 knots.
The six tugs in the series will have hawser winches installed at the bow and a hydraulic capstan and H-bitt on the aft deck. The vessels also will have an articulating hydraulic brow aft of the deckhouse to facilitate personnel transfers from other Navy vessels.
“This is an exciting milestone for this program, as the YT 808-class tugs will replace the tugs built in 1964 through 1975,” said Mike Kosar, a program manager with Program Executive Office Ships (PEO Ships). “With five more in the pipeline, we’re excited to get these tugs underway and operational.”
Delivery for the lead boat in the series is scheduled for August. Subsequent vessels will be delivered into 2022.
Greenbrier Marine delivers tank barge to OSG
Oregon shipbuilder Greenbrier Marine has delivered a 204,000-barrel oil and chemical tank barge to Overseas Shipping Group (OSG).
OSG has paired the 528-foot OSG 204 with the existing pusher tugboat OSG Endurance built in 2011. The vessels are working together in the Gulf of Mexico in the Jones Act trade.
"Completing a complex engineering and construction project on time and on budget is a challenge under any circumstances," said Sam Norton, OSG's president and CEO. "Having done so under the constraints imposed by COVID-19 makes that achievement all the more laudable. OSG is gratified to have partnered with Greenbrier Marine in the building of OSG 204, a barge that will serve for many years to come as a visible statement of OSG's continued commitment to supporting the U.S. maritime industry.”
Greenbrier is building a sister barge as well that is scheduled for delivery in late 2020.
Conrad Shipyard wins contract for new dredge
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. (GLDD) has signed a contract with Conrad Shipbuilding for construction of a new trailing suction hopper dredge. The agreement includes an option for a second vessel.
The 6,500-cubic-yard capacity vessel will be based on a design from GLDD in collaboration with C-Job Naval Architects of The Woodlands, Texas. Delivery is expected early in 2023.
The 346-by-69-foot dredge will have two 31-inch suction pipes capable of dredging material from depths of 100 feet. Its total installed horsepower is 16,500 through Tier 4 engines designed to reduce harmful emissions.
“The dredge will be equipped with a direct high-power, pump-ashore installation, dredging system automation, dynamic positioning and tracking, U.S. EPA Tier 4-compliant engines, and additional features designed to minimize the impact of its dredging process on the environment,” GLDD said.
The vessel will be equipped with a workout room, movie theater and seating area that can serve as a training space. It also will be built with single-occupancy staterooms.
WSF hybrid ferries to be powered by ABB systems
The next newbuilds for Washington State Ferries (WSF) will be equipped with hybrid-electric propulsion and electric energy storage systems supplied by ABB Group.
The contract for the work came from Vigor Fab LLC, which has a contract to build up to five of the vessels.
The new Olympic-class ferries will be able to carry 144 vehicles and 1,500 passengers. The initial vessel, scheduled for delivery in 2024, will be the first in the WSF fleet with hybrid-electric propulsion and a battery storage system. The new vessels will be able to operate on battery power or hybrid power.
“This landmark project supports Washington state’s goal for 2050 to reduce emissions by 57.5 percent below the emissions level in 2019, utilizing a hybrid and electric propulsion solution that is space-efficient, easy to install and flexible in operation,” said Jay Hebert, vice president of marine fabrication for Vigor.
WSF, the largest ferry operator in the United States, plans to replace 13 existing ferries powered by diesel engines with hybrid vessels by 2040. Seven vessels will be built and six others in the fleet will be converted to plug-in hybrid systems capable of terminal charging and running in all-electric mode.
All American Marine launches aluminum tour boat
Great Western Attractions, a tour operator in Puget Sound, is close to taking delivery of the first of two aluminum catamarans from All American Marine.
The lead boat, Orca I, launched from All American’s Bellingham, Wash., shipyard in May. The 80-by-27-foot vessels are based on a design from Teknicraft of New Zealand. The identical second boat in the series is scheduled for launch in June.
Orca I will have the capacity for 149 passengers. It will be powered by twin 803-hp Caterpillar C18 engines turning Veem nibral propellers.
Great Western Attractions is a well-known tour operator in the Seattle area. Its other holdings include the Seattle Great Wheel and Wings over Washington, both located on Seattle’s Pier 57.
