Shipbuilding News, March 2017

Harley Marine opens era of Tier 4 tractor tugs

Harley Marine of Seattle has taken delivery of Earl W. Redd, the first U.S. tractor tug that meets EPA Tier 4 emissions limits and the first U.S. tugboat of any kind using a selective catalytic reduction system (SCR) to comply with federal standards.

The 120-by-35-foot tug is powered by twin Caterpillar 3516 engines each producing 2,675 hp at 1,600 rpm linked with Rolls-Royce US 255-P30-FP z-drives. Each engine is paired with a urea-based SCR aftertreatment system installed above the engine compartment that converts nitrogen oxide in diesel exhaust to nitrogen and water vapor. The system is expected to exceed federal emissions requirements.

The versatile Earl W. Redd has a Markey hawser winch on the bow and Markey towing winch on the stern to accomplish a wide range of services, including salvage and rescue towing. However, with a bollard pull of 75 tons, the vessel is also suited for docking and ship-assist jobs.

Other components on the tug include twin John Deere 125-kW generators and Schuyler rubber fendering. Earl W. Redd has an oversized 127,000-gallon fuel tank to allow for long voyages, and an 8,200-gallon urea tank.

Jensen Maritime Consultants of Seattle provided plans for the tugboat, which was built by Diversified Marine of Portland, Ore., at its shipyard along the Columbia River. The tug is named for shipyard owner Kurt Redd’s father, who was a longtime presence at the yard.

The vessel is believed to be the second Tier 4 tugboat operating in the U.S. after Harvey Gulf’s 212-foot multipurpose field support vessel Harvey Stone, which Eastern Shipbuilding of Panama City, Fla., delivered last summer. Harvey Stone is powered by twin GE engines, which use an exhaust gas recirculation system, or EGR, to reduce emissions.

NASSCO delivers final ECO tanker to SEA-Vista

General Dynamics NASSCO is nearly finished with an eight-boat order of 610-foot ECO-class tankers for two customers. The vessels feature a fuel-efficient design and can be converted to operate on liquefied natural gas.

The San Diego shipyard recently delivered Liberty, marking the end of a three-boat run for SEA-Vista. Like its Jones Act-compliant predecessors Independence and Constitution, Liberty is a 50,000-deadweight-ton ship with a 330,000-barrel capacity.

NASSCO is nearly finished with a five-boat ECO-class order for American Petroleum Tankers. The yard has delivered four of the ships, and the final APT vessel, Palmetto State, is scheduled for christening later this month.

All American Marine building hybrid passenger boat

All American Marine of Bellingham, Wash., has received an order to build a 600-passenger hybrid electric passenger vessel for San Francisco-based tour operator Red and White Fleet.

The 128-by-30-foot aluminum monohull, Enhydra, will have the capacity for 600 passengers on three decks. It will be powered by a BAE Systems HybriDrive propulsion system linked with a variable-speed Cummins QSL9 diesel engine providing 410 hp at 2,100 rpm.

Corvus Energy will supply the 80-kW lithium-ion battery packs to provide electric propulsion at slow speeds.

“At higher speeds, the generator will automatically engage and augment the additional power demands of the traction motor,” All American said in a news release. “The battery system is sufficient to meet the entire demand of the vessel’s hotel load while at the same time providing silent and emission-free operation of the propulsion system during an evening sunset cruise.”

Enhydra primarily will be used for tours around San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge after delivery in spring 2018.

Metal Shark launches two boats for Citywide Ferry

Metal Shark continues to make progress on the high-speed catamaran ferries it is building for Hornblower’s New York City ferry service.

Metal Shark, based in Jeanerette, La., is building the 86-by-26-foot Citywide Ferry Service vessels at its Franklin, La., yard. Crews there launched the first two ferries in late February and began preparations for final outfitting.

“Meanwhile, two more Citywide Ferry vessels were being prepared for paint, and two others were taking shape in the welding shop as work on the project continues,” the company said in a news release.

Hornblower subsidiary HNY Ferry Fleet LLC ordered 19 of the 149-passenger aluminum ferries to be used in the new commuter service. The Incat Crowther-designed vessels have twin Moteurs Baudouin engines, Vulkan couplings, ZF gears and Michigan Wheel props.

Metal Shark has orders to build six of the ferries, and Horizon Shipbuilding of Bayou La Batre, Ala., is building the remaining 13. Metal Shark expects to deliver the first vessels this month, two more in April and the final two in May.

Virginia pilots order new vessel from Gladding-Hearn

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding is building a Chesapeake-class MKII launch for the Virginia Pilot Boat Corp., based in Virginia Beach. The vessel marks the eighth pilot boat the Somerset, Mass., shipyard has built for the Virginia pilots group.

The 55-by-17-foot vessel features a deep-V hull designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates. Propulsion comes from twin 700-hp Volvo Penta D13-700 Tier 3 engines, and a 12-kW Alaska Diesel generator delivers ship service power. The boat also has a Humphree interceptor automatic trim-optimization system.

“The combination of the Volvo Penta IPS system and the Humphree interceptors gives the pilots faster acceleration and higher speeds and improved comfort, while burning 25 percent less fuel than similar Chesapeake-class launches,” Gladding-Hearn President Peter Duclos said in a news release.

The aluminum MKII marks a new generation of Gladding-Hearn’s class of smaller pilot boats. Design changes include placing the wheelhouse aft of amidships to provide a larger foredeck. The engine room is aft of the wheelhouse, and the boat has a gyro stabilization system for a smoother ride.

Like other Gladding-Hearn pilot launches, the vessel has heated decks and handrails, with platforms on the roof and, port and starboard, on the foredeck for pilot loading. Delivery is scheduled for next year.

Lake Assault building Pittsburgh fireboat

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire in Pittsburgh, Pa., has ordered a 34-foot fireboat for fire and rescue operations on the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. Scheduled for delivery this summer, it will be Pittsburgh’s first such vessel in decades.

The boat features a deep-V hull design with propulsion from dual Yamaha F300 4.2L V-6 outboard motors, providing a top speed exceeding 40 mph. Firefighting equipment will consist of a Hale 80FC pump capable of 3,000 gallons per minute. The pump is powered by a 6.6L Duramax V8 diesel engine. TFT Hurricane monitors capable of 1,250 gpm will be mounted on the bow and stern.

The navigation suite will include a Garmin chartplotter, HD sonar and a forward-looking infrared system visible on 12- and 16-inch touch-screen displays. The vessel also has ample storage for firefighting equipment, dive tanks and other emergency gear.

Chesapeake delivers latest Sassafras-class tug

Chesapeake Shipbuilding has delivered the 3,000-hp Fishing Creek model-bow tugboat to Vane Brothers of Baltimore. The tug is the 13th of 20 Sassafras-class vessels built by the Salisbury, Md., shipyard since 2007.

The 94-by-32-foot tug features two Caterpillar 3512 Tier 3 engines while auxiliary power comes from twin John Deere 4045 Tier 3 engines. A third John Deere 4045 engine drives the JonRie Intertech Series 500 towing winch mounted on the stern.

Frank Basile of Entech Designs drew the plans for the Sassafras-class tugs a decade ago, and Vane Brothers has had to make very few changes over the years, according to company senior port captain Jim Demske, who oversees tugboat construction for the firm.

The tug features a Simrad electronics suite, Deming fire pumps, M&M Bumpers wrapping protecting the hull and Lapeyre alternating tread stairs leading to the upper pilothouse.

Vane Brothers has assigned the tug to its Delta Fleet in Philadelphia, where it will work in the North Atlantic coastwise trade towing petroleum barges. The 14th Sassafras-class tug, Cape May, is expected this summer from Chesapeake.

By Professional Mariner Staff